Reading Time: 146 Minutes

Title: Where Angels Fear to Tread
Author: Keira Marcos
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1, NCIS
Relationship: Patrick Sheppard/Jack O’Neill, Tony DiNozzo/OMC, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction, Mutant!AU, First Time, Alternate Universe
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Bigotry, Discussion-Human Experimentation, Violence, Homophobic Language, Character Death-OC, Grammarly Beta
Author’s Note: Sequel to The Air That Angels Breathe.
Word Count: 64,612
Summary: Patrick Sheppard comes out swinging when the NID makes a play to have his son returned to Earth for study regarding his unique mutation.

* * * *

Chapter 6

“I’ve got what I consider to be a partial list from Simmons,” Tony said as he sat down at the conference table. “We’re compiling files on each for the report. On the military front, we have Lt. Clay Humphrey, Air Force. He’s an information systems tech here in the mountain and received the data that Dr. Keller sent from Atlantis and Dr. Bradley. He passed it to Gunnery Sergeant Gerald Frye, Marines. Frye then sent the data to Colonel Frank Simmons at the FBI as an email attachment, where he explained explicitly how disgusted he was by Colonel Sheppard’s relationship with Dr. McKay and the flaunting of his mutation. He called him an embarrassment to the Corps.

“The third military asset that has been compromised by the Trust is Sergeant Janelle Copeland, Marines. I wouldn’t know about her at all if she hadn’t shown up and confessed to being blackmailed. Currently, she’s broken no regulations or laws. Her husband has a gambling problem, and his debt was paid off by a third party. Shortly thereafter, she was contacted and told that she now had a debt to pay herself. This was a week ago, and she’s been struggling with the situation since—they threatened to kill her husband and their two kids.”

Jack frowned. “She should’ve reported it as soon as possible, and her husband’s gambling problem would’ve surfaced on her next background check. If it’s an ongoing problem, then it should’ve already come up.”

“Sergeant Copeland was assigned to Area 51 until sixteen months ago,” Tony said. “Her husband and children lived just outside of Vegas. His gambling addiction started there, and she requested reassignment as soon as she could. She hoped the move here would solve the problem but did require that he go to counseling or face a divorce. It is SGC policy to review background checks for security clearances every twenty-four months. She was due another in just six weeks.”

“Poor judgment equals removal,” Jack said. “And she’s got poor judgment in spades. How long left on her current tour?”

“Two years, but she expected to reenlist,” Tony said as he closed a file in front of him and set it to his left. “I’ve let her know to expect a discharge, and since she’s committed no actual crimes, it will be honorable. Frankly, she’s devastated, and I doubt her marriage will survive that process. I have Humphrey and Frye in custody, and JAG has been contacted regarded prosecution and legal representation. We’re still reviewing Humphrey and Frye’s movements around the mountain and their computer activity, so a full list of charges is pending for both. There is also a civilian geneticist in the mountain. He was the one who solicited the medical records that Dr. Dawson tried to access. His role in this is unclear, but Simmons was aware of his work and recruitment to the Trust, which happened roughly five days after the incident on Atlantis that revealed Colonel Sheppard’s mutation.

“Frank Simmons also produced a list of very wealthy men,” Tony said. “Terrance Evans, CEO of Procyon Media Enterprises—married, two teenage children; William Blaylock, founder of the Procyn Media Enterprises—divorced, no children, and two lovers; Alex Jameson, Vice President of Farrow-Marshall Aeronautics—married, no children; Michael Northrup, CEO of Hammel Technologies—never married, has a fondness of escorts of all varieties, four illegitimate children; Masato Hiro, CEO of Far East Mercantile, one domestic partnership, and three adopted children; David Ballard, Chairman of Stark Consortium—no partners of record, no children.

“We have investigations in progress on all adults—suspects, husbands, wives, partners, and two of Northrup’s children,” Tony said and took a deep breath. “And finally, Senator Robert Kinsey—one wife, one male lover, and five children. Interestingly, four of the five children were adopted. His wife is heavily active in a variety of charity organizations and lives in Kentucky in the farmhouse she inherited while he lives in DC.

“That split happened when Hayes won the primary, and despite pressure to pick Kinsey as his Vice President, he chose to run with Cassandra Rowley. We can count ourselves lucky on that front, so at least we don’t have a sitting Vice President in the Trust.”

“So, Giselle Kinsey didn’t appreciate his failure,” Patrick said. “She’s a difficult woman to please. She plays at being the brittle side of delicate on the southern belle front, with a smile like a shark and an attitude to match. Her mother was a genuine member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which Giselle publicly derides merely for the sake of her image. She’s a Kentucky blueblood who grew up on the back of a thoroughbred horse. Robert certainly married up on the social front.”

Tony stared for a moment. “You’ve met her?”

Patrick inclined his head. “He deployed her in my direction about four years ago when I was working in the Pentagon.”

“Deployed in…what way?” Fornell questioned and raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly the way you think,” Patrick said in amusement. “She’s an operator of sorts—looks younger than she is, and she’s thirty years younger than him, with an old-school demeanor. She’s beautiful and will drag a man around by the….” His gaze flicked toward Hetty.

“Dick?” She supplied with a laugh, and Patrick sighed.

“I was trying to find a polite term, but yes. I can’t imagine how many men she has seduced and manipulated at her much older husband’s direction. The move back to Kentucky is probably a punishment. The adopted kids are the result of the fact that he refused her more natural children. I was told, by two different people, that he thought pregnancy and childbirth had already done enough damage to her body. He paid for several cosmetic procedures to correct those perceived flaws.”

“Kinsey’s failed bid for the president and the additional failure of the option to ride second on the Republican ticket lost him a lot of favor,” Tony said when Patrick sat back with his coffee. “He did manage to keep his seat on the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the subcommittee that oversees the Stargate Program. As such, he has a lot of reach that the Trust would’ve been interested in exploring.

“Additionally, Frank Simmons admitted to leaking the photos before he attended the meeting in Admiral Sheppard’s office under the assumption that he’d be directly ordered not to and that the materials might be confiscated. I do believe he didn’t consider the risk to Atlantis’ location to be a genuine concern,” Tony admitted. “But ignorance doesn’t mean anything in this circumstance.”

“Could people really use that single picture to pinpoint the location of Atlantis?” Hetty asked curiously.

“Dr. Keller used a digital camera programmed for on-planet research, and every single picture had detailed metadata attached, including GPS information from an orbiting satellite that is used to keep track of the expedition members as they explore their current planet. I tasked four scientists at Area 51 who had never set foot in Pegasus to find Atlantis this morning,” Tony said. “Three have already provided the star system, the most likely planet, and the GPS location of the city based on the six pictures Dr. Keller sent. The problem is that one thing that the IOA and the SGC agreed on was that astronomical data on Pegasus fell under general scientific information that everyone had the right to know.”

“Did all three get it right?” Fornell asked.

“Yeah, of course, the GPS information is there to be had, but the rest takes an understanding of astronomy, planetary movement, and an above-average computer to do the math. For the record, we gave the pictures to the supercomputer here in the mountain, and it spit out the location of Atlantis in ten minutes,” Tony said and cleared his throat. “Since we know that there are aliens on this planet—we can’t trust that Atlantis’ location won’t be revealed to an off-world enemy. The city will have to be moved.”

“We don’t have the power to do that,” Jack said roughly. “It’s not something we like to advertise, especially not after they barely managed to fight off the second replicator attack. They came precariously close to trying to launch the city off that planet then, but several mutants were able to deflect the replicators with psy-force manipulation until McKay and Kusanagi could infiltrate their ship and destroy it.”

“Are those machines still a treat?” Fornell questioned.

“No, the expedition used the gate system in Pegasus to destroy the replicators from the inside out,” Jack said. “It’s one mission that remains classified. But needless to say, Agent Fornell, not only did they destroy the replicators in Pegasus, we were able to repeat the feat here and end the threat of the replicators against the asgard permanently. They’ve been able to turn their scientific focus toward correcting their cloning problems.” He cleared his throat and focused on Patrick. “Game plan?”

“We’ll coordinate with Homeland and the FBI to take the rest of the civilians involved into custody at the same time. Two of them were already on our radar for Trust involvement. Tony, I’ll forward you a list that Tom Morrow has been compiling based on investigations into domestic terrorism. We have two different organizations in the mix that aren’t Trust. One is a defense security contractor, and the other is a tech firm specializing in the development of artificial intelligence.” Patrick checked his watch. “Director Morrow will probably be called into the meeting with POTUS this afternoon. Will attending that meeting put a dent in your workflow, Tony?”

Tony shook his head. “President Hayes doesn’t like to mince words, so the meeting won’t last long.”

“You’ve met with POTUS before?” Hetty Lange questioned.

Tony’s gaze flicked around the room, and he cleared his throat. “Yes, to avoid any of you trying to research the matter—I vetted the president’s cabinet six months after he was elected. It’s not considered a classified matter, but he wouldn’t want it discussed at length.”

“He replaced SECNAV around that time, didn’t he?” Patrick questioned.

“Yes, sir,” Tony said and stood. “With permission, I have a few calls to make, and I promised Dr. Kusanagi I would bring some tea to her lab. She’s nearly finished with her initial plow through the mountain’s security. After that, she’ll distribute tasks and take a nap before her second run.”

“Dismissed then,” Jack said and watched Tony leave. Fornell followed with a nod, leaving them alone with Hetty Lange. He focused on her. “Concerns?”

“Plenty,” she said, and her gaze dropped to the legal pad she’d written on the entire time Tony spoke. “Some of these men are just as powerful as Frank Simmons touted them to be. They are well-placed, wealthy, and prone to lashing out in extremely violent ways when their activities are questioned. Not a single one of them has ever been charged with a crime, no matter how many investigations were undertaken. There will be a biotech angle. I’m sure Tony is already searching for that component. They wouldn’t be interested in getting Colonel Sheppard on Earth if extensive experimentation wasn’t a goal.” She winced. “My apologies, Admiral.”

“I don’t need you to pander to my feelings, Agent Lange,” Patrick said and stood from the table. He went to the table in the back of the room and poured himself some coffee. “You couldn’t say anything on that subject I haven’t already had a few hundred nightmares about.” He returned to the table and sat down. “My concern on this subject consumed me for decades. I’ve made many enemies over the years when it comes to mutant rights, and I expect that I will make them until I die.

“I’ve never, ever accepted any sort of ideology that presumed that any organization or government had the right to experiment, detain, or outright kill another human being merely because they have a mutation. It was entirely about John at first, but over the years, that changed. No one gets a pass on this subject no matter who their target is.” He tilted back in his chair. “Mercy isn’t in my wheelhouse.”

She smiled. “That’s a very attractive quality in a man.”

Patrick grinned. “I’ve heard enough about you to be flattered, Agent Lange.”

“Oh, please call me Hetty.” She folded her hands together in front of her. “I’ve got a set of agents in LA waiting for instructions—special ops and undercover operations are their specialties. Agent Callen has worked with various federal agencies, including the CIA, and his partner, Agent Hanna, is a former Navy SEAL. If I give them a target and a goal, it will be taken care of.”

“Add them to Agent DiNozzo’s roster for deployment,” Patrick said. “He’ll need a heavy hitter at the NCIS level, eventually.” He cleared his throat. “Can we talk about Jethro Gibbs?”

“Ah, well, sure,” Hetty said pleasantly. “He’s an old war horse for the agency, set in his ways but good at his job when he’s on point. His personal loyalties can and have created ethical issues that I find troubling. I believed he would be fired during the whole situation with Jennifer Shepard and Ziva David.”

“But he wasn’t,” O’Neill said. “He didn’t even get a reprimand or a demotion. He’s still in charge of the MCRT in DC. He still has a higher than average security clearance for his job.”

“It couldn’t be proven that he ignored Jenny Shepard’s activities or that he knew what Ziva David’s goals were,” Hetty said. “All that could be proven was that he refused to discuss the issue with his Senior Field Agent, and that agent chose to go over his head and report the issue to the Inspector General. Agent DiNozzo fully expected to have no career after the report he made, and he still did it. That speaks to his character, and it made me realize how good of an asset he is. It also highlighted NCIS’ loss on that front as well. He could’ve gone far in the organization, and his ethics are very much needed in the agency.”

“He’ll never go back,” Jack said when Patrick frowned. “Not even for you, Hetty.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” Hetty said and took a sip of tea. “He was very explicit in his desire to never, ever return to the agency. He even questioned those of us who were in the know regarding the situation remaining in the service. He asked me point blank if I’d ignored Jenny’s poor judgment because I mentored her. I admit, I would’ve given her far more leeway than any other because of my personal relationship with her. Retrospection is awful.”

“Is Gibbs a problem for Tony?” Patrick questioned.

“Not a dangerous problem,” Hetty said. “He’d never hurt him or allow another to cause him harm if he could prevent it. Jethro feels personally betrayed by Tony, whom he has very paternal feelings for. He believed that his mentorship of Tony should’ve equaled a great deal of personal loyalty.” She frowned at her tea, and Jack briefly considered asking if she had a preferred brand that he could have sourced. “In the end, it boils down to hurt feelings he will never acknowledge. Tony refused to apologize for his actions, refused to back down when the investigation started, and never let Gibbs question him regarding the report he filed.”

“Can we expect him to be a problem in the future?”

“No,” Hetty said. “Director Granger and I had a long conversation with Gibbs about the matter of Tony DiNozzo. Gibbs agreed to stop trying to find him after being reassured that Tony was safe and hadn’t been taken into some custody situation due to Mossad’s behavior. He had a legitimate reason to worry about that as more than one individual in the government seemed prepared to sacrifice Tony to Eli David to smooth things over after Ziva David was killed in custody. But there were higher powers in play, and Tony’s removal from the situation went very smoothly.”

“Who killed Ziva David?”

“No one knows,” Hetty said. “At first, I believed she’d been removed from our custody, and her death faked. But I saw her body. It was a professional hit, certainly. Her father blamed us, but the CIA thinks that Mossad did it. It wouldn’t be the first time Eli David had ordered the murder of one of his own children. He’s very mercenary and invested in his own power. All of his people are disposable. Gibbs is furious over it, of course, but doesn’t appear to blame Tony specifically.” She focused on Patrick. “What’s your interest in Tony DiNozzo, Admiral Sheppard?”

“Confidentially?” He questioned, and Hetty nodded. “He’s my son.”

She exhaled slowly. “Well, then.” She exhaled slowly. “Well, that…is relieving.”

“Is it?”

“Well, the man he thought was his father is a real bastard,” Hetty said easily. “And a criminal. If he had the money and influence to do it—he’d be neck-deep in the Trust. I know, through several sources, that DiNozzo Sr. contacted Gibbs trying to find his son but was sternly rebuffed. Gibbs loathes the man and considers him to be a terrible father. There are some issues on that front for Gibbs since his only child was murdered when she was very young. His wife was also killed during that incident. He puts on a pretense of moving on but clearly hasn’t. Tobias would have more information as they are friends.”

“Can he be trusted not to give Gibbs Tony’s new contact information?” Jack questioned.

“Of course,” Hetty said. “Agent Fornell understands how important the separation is to Tony’s mental health. Gibbs will move on as much as he ever does and has agreed not to seek Tony out. Director Granger tried to get him to agree to ignore Tony if he reached out, but Gibbs told him no.”

“Does he think that Tony will return to the fold?” Jack questioned.

“Oh, he would certainly welcome it,” Hetty said. “But he’d be hostile and unreasonable about it. Gibbs’ would see it as a surrender. Tony knows this very well and would never allow such a thing to happen.”

“Their relationship sounds deeply toxic,” Patrick said roughly. “I really don’t approve.”

“Lines were crossed by both of them,” Hetty said. “Tony invested in Gibbs in a personal way because he trusted him. When that trust was violated by lack of action, it was an immense blow. Gibbs, on the other hand, demands unfailing loyalty to himself from everyone around him. When that loyalty is not delivered, he is unforgiving and cruel. His personal failings created a glass ceiling of sorts for him years ago, and now he pretends he’d rather not ever be promoted again when, at one time, he was very ambitious about his career at NCIS.”

“He is certainly well-known for allowing his personal feelings and connections to shape his judgment and his meaning of justice,” Jack said. “Because he’s in an elevated position at NCIS, he’s just one of many that I had thoroughly investigated. I can’t say I like what was found. I can’t discount his grief. I had the briefest of moments in the past when I thought my son was going to die, and it, frankly, ruined me. I want to think that I could’ve come out of such a loss functional and capable of being my duty.”

Hetty nodded. “Gibbs does wear his grief and clearly doesn’t plan to ever let it go. It’s a shame and, to my own thinking, doesn’t honor the memory of either his wife or child. I try not to judge him on this issue, honestly, but it’s difficult considering how much of a problem he regularly makes himself on a professional level.”

“I consider keeping his mess away from Tony a priority,” Jack said. “I need him focused on protecting the program and the mission. I’m not discounting what he did in DC. Because investigating and prosecuting murders is a much-needed endeavor, but we have a higher duty at the SGC that transcends the individual or a single heinous crime.”

Hetty nodded. “I understand, Jack, and I agree.”

* * * *

Patrick didn’t particularly like Henry Hayes. They were on different ends of the political spectrum, and Hayes was every inch a politician. He’d spent his entire career in the public arena and had no inkling what it meant to serve the country outside of politics. It was off-putting, to say the least. They’d been beamed into the White House and put in a conference room. Tony seemed at ease with the whole process, and Jack clearly would’ve preferred to be anywhere else. Somehow, Fornell had weaseled out of the meeting, and he’d been real smug about it.

Hetty and Tony were currently raiding the snack bar like a pair of Vikings, which Patrick found more amusing than anything else. They’d been waiting nearly ten minutes when Randolph Rampart entered with the Secretary of the Navy and the Air Force Chief of Staff. He’d met the new SECNAV when she’d been active duty. Dana Hargrove had been a shining star when she’d served in the Navy, so he hadn’t been all that surprised to see her continue to advance and grow in her service after retirement.

“Patrick,” she offered her hand with a smile. “I’ve been meaning to call you.”

“Admiral Hargrove,” he took the hand she offered.

“Please, Dana, surely it’s time.” She shifted closer, eyes bright, and Patrick just inclined his head. “Things are difficult for you right now. I’m sorry for it.”

“John’s as safe as he’s ever been,” Patrick said. “Which is to say not at all. I’ve known this since the day he mutated.” He released her hand. “Were you briefed on the data leak?”

“I’ve read the report OSI sent me,” she said with a frown in Jack’s direction. “Can’t seem to keep the mountain tight, can you, General O’Neill? Perhaps you should’ve listened to me months ago regarding your personnel decisions.”

“Other human beings continue to be an immense disappointment,” Jack said. “And apparently, shooting traitors on sight isn’t in my mandate.” He paused. “I did ask.”

Rampart laughed.

“He did ask,” Blake admitted.

“The Trust has been a problem for quite some time,” Tony said, and they all focused on him. “And various political figures have shielded them despite the efforts of Homeworld and the FBI. Since Senator Kinsey has been revealed to be corrupt, it is probable that the organization has a deep reach into every single branch.” He smiled then as he focused on Hargrove. “Including your own office, Admiral Hargrove. I was surprised to find that you didn’t clean house as I suggested when you were sworn in. I’ve passed a list of individuals to NCIS, including your current aide-de-camp, whose recently acquired spouse is an executive at InterOps.”

“InterOps is a government contractor,” Hargrove said with a frown at Tony. “Founded by Admiral Paul Adamison.”

“InterOps is a front for the Trust,” Tony corrected. “That information is included in the second report I filed this morning. The problem is that secrets are very attractive, and big ones are never sustainable, especially in a world full of people with a host of mental gifts. It’s one of the reasons why I personally agreed that declassification of the Stargate Program was necessary when the president asked me.”

“You were still at NCIS when that happened,” General Blake interjected.

“Oh, I’ve known Tony for years.”

Patrick turned and found the President of the United States standing in the open doorway of the room.

Hayes smiled. “He saved my life a decade ago.” He came fully into the room and pulled the door shut. “Let’s sit and skip the pleasantries. Today has been a distinctly unpleasant experience, and there’s no need to pretend otherwise.”

Patrick shifted so he was situated between O’Neill and Mason Blake when they all sat down at the table.

“Well, Tony,” Hayes started. “Talk to me.”

“The situation remains much the same as it was before, sir,” Tony said easily. “Everyone at the table is in the clear, but you know my personal connections, and I won’t be offended if you bring in another asset to assess them and me.”

“Oh, no need for that,” Hayes said. “You earned my faith in blood, Tony, and I won’t ever forget it. As to your personal connections, I don’t believe they’re pertinent to the conversation. If that changes, we’ll discuss it in private.” He sat back in his chair. “Now, tell me about InterOps.”

“A defense contractor mostly made up of former Navy operatives,” Tony said easily. “They have an immense amount of money, very little work product to show for it, and NCIS has ten open cases in the Middle East regarding the company’s criminal behavior. They favor illegal arms dealing. If you want specific information on those cases, you’ll want to schedule a meeting with Director Granger and Agent Gibbs, as they have a task force dedicated to it. Homeland is currently investigating the company locally and predicts arrests for the entire executive board within the week.

“The company is not specifically involved in the data leak. But, within twenty-four hours of the materials coming into Colonel Frank Simmons’ hands, Paul Adamison reached out to Terrance Evans, the believed founder of the Trust, offering funds and assets in the event they were able to obtain blood or tissue samples from Colonel Sheppard.” He cleared his throat. “As of an hour ago, there is a two million dollar bounty on Colonel Sheppard—dead or alive. Paul Adamison began negotiations to buy Freemore BioTech fifteen hours ago.”

“Shaking free all the players would be easier if Colonel Sheppard were on the planet,” Hargrove said. “I can order him returned, Mr. President.”

“No, you can’t,” Hayes said, eyes dark and hard. “The IOA has declared him mission essential for Pegasus and is vehemently opposed to his return to the planet. I’ve agreed with their assessment. Moreover, it’ll be a cold day in hell before I use him as bait for a bunch of fucking terrorists.”

Hargrove sat back, clearly shocked. “He’d be perfectly safe, sir.”

“Do you know what John Sheppard is, Ms. Hargrove?”

“An officer in the United States Marine Corps, thus under my authority,” she said.

“He’s the man that saved our planet from an invasion at the hands of aliens who want to eat us,” Hayes corrected. “His rank, military branch, and even his mutation come after that. He threw his life at that super hive, nearly died for it, and kept us safe. Millions would’ve died within the first minutes of that invasion as the wraith would’ve quickly realized that our level of technology equaled an immense threat. Feeding would’ve taken a back seat to subjugation, which would’ve begun with bombardment from space. We know this because the wraith are creatures of deep habit and do not tolerate any sort of potential threat.

“Colonel Sheppard stands as the vanguard of our species in Pegasus, and this current situation is and should remain beneath his notice.”

“The Trust is an immense ongoing threat to the country, sir,” Hargrove said. “Shouldn’t that be the priority? The wraith are currently contained in Pegasus.”

“Contained because of the work Colonel Sheppard does,” Jack said, and Hargrove grimaced at him. “And currently, the Trust is a threat to Colonel Sheppard. They’re looking to buy his corpse.”

Patrick shifted in his seat, and Jack O’Neill pressed his knee against his leg under the table. “The world at large has always been a threat to my son. The potential in his supposed unique mutation is the stuff of nightmares, and plenty of people all over the world are wondering what could be discovered if they were allowed to take him apart. My son will not be returning to Earth any time soon.”

“He can’t disobey orders, Patrick,” Hargrove said with a shake of her head. “The loyalty he enjoys in the city won’t extend that far. His second-in-command would take him into custody and return him to Earth if ordered.”

“Well, Major Lorne is Air Force,” Blake interjected. “And I’m not going to allow such an order to be given to him.”

“Before John returned to Pegasus after the declassification process, he and I sat down to discuss his future in the Marine Corps, his role in Pegasus, and his connection to Atlantis,” Patrick said. “One of the things we did was prepare resignation papers for him. I have them in a secure location. Should he be ordered to return to Earth for experimentation or to be used as bait, I will file those papers without a single hesitation. Should I be killed, those papers will be filed automatically on John’s behalf. My son will not be at the mercy of the government as a member of the military in such circumstances.”

“That’s….” Hargrove trailed off in shock.

“It’s a great plan,” Tony interjected. “And I would’ve recommended it if asked. Declassification intensified interest surrounding Colonel Sheppard and his mutation. Many have speculated that his mutation was directly responsible for his success in the field and during the super hive situation. Clearly, it wasn’t, and that has probably made people even more curious. There are some online theories speculating that he has the ability to shapeshift and wings are merely just one option amongst many.”

“Is it not?” Hargrove questioned curiously.

Patrick shared a look with Tony. “What do you mean?”

“Is it just wings?” She asked. “It’s not been made clear in any report I’ve seen.”

“My son isn’t a shapeshifter,” Patrick said. “His wings are a physical manifestation and nest in his back when not in use. Biologically, he merely has a third set of limbs that happen to be wings. I don’t believe any experimentation into his mutation would reveal the ability to shapeshift. It’s not something we can force people to believe, however, and that’s the problem.”

“And you don’t think he’s really all that unique,” Hayes said.

“No, I don’t. Obviously, hiding such a thing would be paramount to anyone with such a mutation. Hundreds of children were killed all over the world in the 70s and 80s due to mutant experimentation. The bounty on my son’s body more than makes it clear how dangerous it still is to be a mutant. We live in a disgusting world.”

Hargrove nodded. “Do you think perhaps keeping it a secret only added to the problem?”

“No, it kept my child safe for decades, and I regret nothing about the decisions I made when John was little,” Patrick said shortly. “Plus, it kept me out of jail. Because murder has always been an option for me when it comes to protecting John.” She paled. “And I’m more than willing to make that clear at any point in the future.”

“I certainly wouldn’t want to endanger Colonel Sheppard more than he already is,” Hargrove said. “But using him as bait would certainly bring all the players to the surface quickly. I realize how callous that sounds.”

It sounded like a nightmare. Patrick let one of his hands fist against his thigh, and he took a deep breath.

“No,” Hayes said. “And my answer is final.”

“We don’t actually need him on the planet to use the idea of more information as bait,” Tony said. “We can pretend to have blood and samples. It could be framed as a negotiation of sorts that Admiral Sheppard arranged to keep his son in Pegasus. It would all be manufactured, of course, but we let the information in it leak and see who makes an attempt to take the materials.”

“Visually, his feathers are the most like that of a black eagle,” Patrick said reluctantly, and Tony nodded. “That would be enough to catch attention, and the rest could be entirely fake. No one will get a chance to test any of it, at any rate. We’ll need a scientist from Atlantis to bring the ‘samples’ back through the gate.”

“We could send Janet Frasier to Pegasus as part of the fabrication,” Jack said. “She’s always wanted to see the city, and if I were going to get samples, she’d be the only one I’d trust with it considering the level of security attached to such a thing.”

Patrick focused on Dana Hargrove. “Will that do, Ms. Hargrove?”

She blinked, and he hoped she realized the permanent shift in their acquaintance going forward. He couldn’t and wouldn’t ever consider her an ally again. “Yes, Admiral Sheppard, I believe it will give us the response we need to manage this situation in regard to the security of our country.”

“I’ll agree to this, but only as a one-off. We won’t try again with real samples if it fails,” Hayes said. “Director Morrow, from Homeland, has confirmed the arrest of everyone on the list Agent DiNozzo produced. The FBI is coordinating with the NSA to make sure all the players in attached organizations and businesses are identified and apprehended. Admiral Sheppard, going forward, any clean assets from the NID will be folded into your operation. I don’t expect there to be many when it’s all said and done. Plenty were in the know, even if they weren’t involved, and that’s a non-starter for me. I can’t abide a coward.”

Patrick nodded. “I’ll want Agent DiNozzo to vet all of those assets personally before they’re allowed within my ranks. My offices handle far too much sensitive data and materials to allow for any mistakes.”

“I’ll make it a priority,” Tony said.

“Perhaps you should consider a different person for that vetting process,” Hargrove interjected. “Agent DiNozzo’s history with NCIS and his questionable decision-making has already created a largely unnecessary set of consequences and caused the death of a foreign national in our federal prison system.”

Patrick’s gaze widened in shock as Tony paled.

“What?” Tony questioned and turned to Hetty. “Is Ziva David dead?”

Hetty, who had remained quiet since arriving in the White House, cleared her throat. “She was killed in her cell several months ago. It was decided, by the President of the United States, that you would not be informed of the death.” She glared briefly at Hargrove, who had the grace to look contrite. “It’s not your fault and not your problem to resolve.”

“But….”

“Tony,” Hayes interjected. “It’s not your problem. You did your duty to your country without a single hesitation, and I remain grateful for your loyalty and patriotism even when it put the career you’ve dedicated your entire adult life at risk. It’s best if you handle the NID vetting process for Admiral Sheppard.” He turned to Hargrove. “I chose you because Agent DiNozzo told me that you couldn’t be bought.” She pressed her lips together firmly. “He assured me that you’re a patriot and that your overtly cold demeanor is merely a side effect of decades of serving in a male-dominated environment. I trust that you will do your job, Ms. Hargrove, but you’ve inserted yourself in a matter that is absolutely none of your business.”

“I’m the one that is still dealing with the fallout of his actions at NCIS, sir,” Hargrove said. “Director Granger and Agent Gibbs both have demanded access to Agent DiNozzo repeatedly over the last four months in relation to several ongoing cases, and I’ve followed my orders on that front though I don’t agree. They believe they need him, and his transfer out of NCIS doesn’t serve the Navy, and I’m not sure it serves the country since he dropped the ball on this data leak.”

Jack cleared his throat. “No, if anyone dropped the ball on this issue, it’s me. It’s my mountain, and every single person involved in this mess was on the job before Agent DiNozzo joined the program. He has been working ten to fifteen hours a day since he came to Colorado to get up to speed on the SGC and handles issues both in the mountain and at Area 51. He is the only OSI agent assigned to the Stargate Program and is also the first. We depended entirely on internal security before the OSI assignment due to the classified nature of the program.

“Within hours of the data breach, he was working to control and contain it. He knew about it days before it would’ve come up in a network security sweep.”

“How is that?” Hetty questioned curiously.

Tony shrugged. “I was in the mess hall getting coffee when I brushed past a Marine who was throwing off so much worry and guilt that I worried he might get physically ill. Normally, such a thing boils down to infidelity. I took note of his name, went back to my office, and researched him. There was no data on a spouse or a significant other, so I took a look at his computer access, work product, and any recent missions he might have been on. I found nothing, but I’m the curious sort, so I went and found him.”

“And?” Hetty prodded with a smile.

“He was a big ball of angst over the fact that he was in the midst of writing a report admitting that he’d seen pictures of Colonel Sheppard’s mutation. He produced the images he’d found in the base library in an envelope. He had no idea where they came from or who had the originals. As it turned out, he’d stumbled across the printouts that Gunnery Sergeant Gerald Fry had printed out for safekeeping and hidden. I confirmed he was writing a report, cleared him of wrongdoing, and sent him on his way.”

Tony focused on Hargrove. “Per previous base policy, this data breach wouldn’t have been discovered until Friday during the weekly network scan. The embedded and hidden attachments would’ve caught the attention of the program that does the scan, as the work was shoddy at best. But even then, it might have been dismissed by security personnel as they were hidden behind pictures of trees and beaches.

“I’ve tasked Information Systems with a new mandate, and going forward, every single digital communication leaving the mountain will go through a review. This wasn’t required for anyone with a high enough security clearance before, but it’s clear we can’t afford to trust anyone. Most people in the mountain enjoy such a security clearance merely because of their work either in Colorado or at Area 51. All emails will be subject to scan and review by security. This will slow communications coming out of the mountain significantly.”

“By how much?” Hayes questioned.

“Upwards of an hour, depending on the time of day, the supercomputer’s workload, and how many outgoing communications are in the queue,” Tony said and shrugged. “Maybe more. Everyone will be informed. The other option is to disallow outgoing email altogether, which I recommend at least until the security of such programs can match the amount of human avarice we have to deal with.”

“So never,” Jack said. “Right.”

“Every single person involved in the data breach both in the mountain and on Atlantis had the access required to do exactly what they did,” Tony continued. “There was no hacking at all. They followed protocols and even encrypted as required by the SGC’s mandate. Even emailing Colonel Simmons was legal. The information emailed wasn’t, but the actual act wasn’t a problem and is only prosecutable because of the content.”

“Is it really your position, Agent DiNozzo, that this wasn’t preventable?” Mason Blake questioned.

“It wasn’t preventable,” Patrick interjected. “Even if email wasn’t allowed, the data could’ve been carried off the city and delivered physically into the hands of someone who could’ve left the base with them and distributed it at will. It isn’t like anyone is subject to a body cavity search when leaving Cheyenne Mountain. All secrets are vulnerable to this, and nothing is truly secure as long as human beings have failings.”

Hayes stood, and everyone scrambled to their feet. “Two of my five grandchildren have mutated in the last five years. I always considered myself fortunate that my two boys didn’t—it was one less worry for me when they were growing up. My youngest grandchild, Zella, has gills and webbed feet. She’s the sweetest little thing you’ve ever seen, honestly, and it galls me that someone might look at her and think she’s something to investigate.

“Fortunately, webbed toes happen even to non-mutants, and gills are a pretty common mutation all over the world. She’s not unique, and neither is her cousin, who manifested telekinesis at sixteen months old. Not a toy in that house was safe after that.” He paused when several of them laughed. “I won’t be the president who erodes the rights of mutants in the United States, and I certainly won’t be the man that allows a goddamned hero to be treated like a science experiment.”

He waved a hand. “Fix this, Jack. If something happens to John Sheppard because of this bullshit—the price we all pay will be catastrophic. People all over the damn planet believe that he stands between us and the wraith. And they aren’t even wrong.”

Patrick took a deep breath as Hayes left the room and shared a look with Tony, who looked sad and furious.

“Did you know?” Tony asked.

“About Ziva David?” Patrick questioned.

“Yes.”

“I found out shortly before this meeting,” Patrick said. “I wouldn’t have been privy to a report on it since that’s Homeland’s business and not a matter that ever reached my desk on an official basis.”

“You’re fortunate that Hayes is in power,” Hargrove said. “Times change and others might not be so forward-thinking regarding your son’s rights, Admiral Sheppard.”

“It’s interesting that you assume that change would somehow equal less power for a man like me,” Patrick said evenly, and Randolph Rampart laughed. “Do you dislike all mutants or just the ones I fathered?”

“I….” Her gaze drifted to Tony, and her mouth dropped open just a little before she clenched her teeth. “Are you serious?”

Patrick just inclined his head as she frowned.

“I’m not anti-mutant at all, but it’s clear how he got such a soft landing after betraying the Director of NCIS.”

“Did you know Jenny Shepard?” Hetty questioned, and Hargrove gave a brief nod. “Then you also probably know that she was suffering from brain cancer when she took over NCIS and had a tumor the size of my fist intruding on her frontal lobe. Agent DiNozzo didn’t betray anyone. He reported espionage and prevented a very ill woman from using her authority as the director of a federal agency from doing an immense amount of harm. The fallout isn’t his problem and never has been. And for the record, he got a soft landing before anyone knew about his parentage. I know this for a fact because I engineered the whole damn thing, and I wasn’t in the know until an hour ago.” She tapped two fingers on the table. “Ma’am.”

“Did you really?” Tony questioned.

Hetty sent him a look. “Of course I did, Anthony. You’re not the only one who can call the POTUS in the middle of the night.” She crossed her arms. “Nor are you the only one to save his life. He’s always been reckless as hell.”

* * * *

“You didn’t have to do that,” Tony said mildly. “Hargrove has been picking on me since she was made SECNAV. Mostly because she can’t officially punish me for Shepard’s death, and that pisses her off.”

“Yes, I did,” Patrick muttered and crossed his arms. “Her personal grudge against you is a problem, and I can shove it down her throat if necessary.”

“So you knew that Jenny Shepard passed?” Jack interjected, and Patrick understood the man was trying to deflect a potential argument, so he just exhaled slowly. “They kept that pretty locked down. There wasn’t even a public funeral.”

“Abby Sciuto, who works at NCIS, keeps me in the loop as much as she legally can,” Tony said. “I’ve been considering poaching her for OSI, but that would mean revealing where I am, and I haven’t. She’s semi-attached to Gibbs, but that took a hit when it was discovered that Ziva David chose to have Kate Todd killed so she could take her place on the MCRT. Gibbs likes to cultivate relationships with younger people, take on a mentor role, and sort of indoctrinate them into his pseudo-family. I’ve gained enough perspective to see how toxic it is.”

“I can have an offer presented to her,” Rampart interjected. “The Stargate Program is a very big draw and would probably be exciting for her.” He checked his watch. “I have to go, Tony. Are you staying in DC for the night?”

He shook his head. “I can’t—I only have ten more hours of Dr. Kusanagi’s time before she wants to return to Atlantis. Colonel Sheppard didn’t want her on Earth at all, so keeping his stress low by returning her on schedule is in our best interest.”

Patrick tried not to frown when Rampart squeezed Tony’s arm and gave them a nod before leaving. He knew he had no business being irritated by the relationship. Beside him, Jack huffed a little as the three of them were left alone. Hetty had returned to LA already for a team meeting of her own, so at least she wasn’t there to give them judgmental side-eye.

“Isn’t he a little old for you?” Jack questioned.

Tony laughed. “Mind your own business, General.” He stacked the files he had brought with him but didn’t use. “Dana Hargrove isn’t much of a problem. She’s the loyal sort and had a history with Jennifer Shepard. I knew that when I picked her from the shortlist for SECNAV. She wasn’t lying about not being anti-mutant, but she’s of the opinion that everyone should make themselves as useful as possible. Refusing to even minimal experimentation is offensive to her as it doesn’t serve society in her opinion.” He checked his watch. “And General Rampart is several years younger than you, too.”

Jack huffed. “I’m too old for you, too.”

Tony grinned. “No, you’re not. I’m an adult over here.” He waved himself. “Fully baked.”

“Let’s go back to the mountain,” Jack said. “We can argue over how adult we think you are there where I have access to good coffee.”

“Sounds good, and you can tell me all about Ziva David’s murder,” Tony said evenly.

 

 

Chapter 7

Jack avoided, with a lot of cleverness on his part, the whole Ziva David situation by throwing Hetty Lange to the DiNozzo-shaped wolf. He regretted nothing since she was the one to tell him and knew far more than he did. Besides, he was entirely sure that Hetty could take DiNozzo in a fight. Anne Teldy had confiscated Patrick when they turned to the mountain, put him in an office with a laptop, and proceeded to pile one situation after another on the man. Jack was convinced she was doing it just so he’d sit still. It worked.

They’d worked through the dinner hour so food had been delivered from the mess hall, and Charlie had sent him a series of texts talking about the disaster they’d made of the waffle maker as, apparently, Ester had decided that waffles were the best choice for dinner. Jack didn’t even want to know what that meant for his kitchen. Though he knew they wouldn’t leave a mess for him to find, he was just left to wonder how bad the carnage had been.

“Anne has released me from report prison.”

Jack looked up and found Patrick Sheppard standing in his doorway, uniform jacket unbuttoned and tie missing. It was honestly kind of terrible how good the man looked disheveled and tired.

“Everything going as planned?”

“They’ve made all the possible arrests, and interviews are ongoing. Tony has several planned tomorrow—Agents Lange and Fornell will be returning first thing in the morning,” Patrick said and shrugged off his jacket. “He’s already bunked down for the night. By the way, I asked Teldy about her being here in the mountain since her duty station is in DC.”

“And?” Jack questioned.

“She said her duty station was no less than 100 feet from my person during working hours.” He paused. “Hours to be determined by herself per General Randolph Rampart.”

“So both of your sons had a part in assigning you a special forces trained bodyguard pretending to be your aide-de-camp.”

“Something like that,” Patrick muttered. “Are you finished?”

“I don’t have anything that can’t wait until morning, and the last team returned from off-planet nearly an hour ago. Post-mission physicals went well.” Jack picked up his cell and slid it into his pocket. “So we can go.”

“Great.”

There was a line to get out of the mountain, but Jack was more than willing to pull rank in such circumstances, so he signaled to the guard, and they were motioned through ahead of roughly twenty civilians and over a dozen military. Sam Carter huffed as he passed her, so Jack snagged her arm with a laugh and hauled her along behind him.

“Remember that time we got held in that yurt, and you had an allergic reaction to the alien yak and couldn’t see because your whole face swelled up?” Jack questioned as they walked.

“Yes, this is oddly just like that, except I can see the disgruntled natives just fine this time,” Sam said and grinned at the laughs that earned her.

“Sorry, folks, I saved the planet. I don’t even wait in line at the bank,” Jack said as they passed through a biometric scanner. “When did we set up the asgard scan equipment?”

“While you were in DC,” Sam said and yawned. “It was on Agent DiNozzo’s list of musts for future mountain security. There’s also a list of things we can’t take with us anymore—laptops, USB drives, et cetera. We can take our cell phones home today since they were all scanned for security issues, but tomorrow we have to leave our personal ones in the car, and we’ll be issued ones that will only work here in the mountain. He’s gone security nuts.”

Jack released her as they entered the parking garage. “Background checks and encryption isn’t going to be enough since people suck and can turn on a fucking dime.”

“Yeah,” Sam said as she snagged her helmet and pulled it on. She slid astride her bike. “I have Charlie’s letter ready, by the way. Though I heard he got accepted into the academy and doesn’t need it.”

Jack frowned. “Don’t remind me, and where did you hear that?”

“Ester called me for advice, and it came up,” Sam said and shrugged. “Have a good night, sirs.” She turned on her bike and backed out of the parking spot, and left.

“Nice bike. I had one like that when I was young and stupid. I don’t think all that leather she’s wearing is enough to ward off the Colorado winter, though,” Patrick said as they got in the truck and locked the doors.

“She’s run hot on the physical front since she was a host for a tok’ra,” Jack said as he sat back in the driver’s seat and stretched.

“Need me to drive?”

“Teldy would probably find out and lecture us with her little frowns and raised eyebrows,” Jack said wryly. “I don’t know why. I mean, you don’t have a history of accidents or bad driving.”

“She has control issues,” Patrick said. “She’s probably sitting in the driver’s seat of your security escort vehicle as we speak.”

Since Jack thought that was likely, he nodded and started his truck. “The kids had waffles for dinner. I’m kind of jealous. It had to be better than institutional hamburger helper we got served.”

“You got served from the mess?” Patrick questioned. “Teldy got me chicken tenders and fries from some place in Colorado Springs.”

Jack huffed. “Lt. Sparrow needs lessons in the care and feeding of a superior officer.”

“I’ll tell Teldy—she’ll square him away,” Patrick said in amusement.

“So, Dana Hargrove.”

“Ah, well,” Patrick muttered. “I met her many years ago. I was still in the field, working in intelligence with the SEALs. She was a rising star at the time—rocketing through the ranks as fast as legally possible. I can’t say her beautiful face didn’t smooth the way in some corners because she’s always looked like she could’ve walked out of a classical painting, but she worked hard to get where she is.”

“She seemed very pleased to see you at first,” Jack said. “Hargrove clearly doesn’t know you very well and doesn’t buy the hype around you. She was shocked by how unwilling you were to consider using John as bait.”

“Dana Hargrove is very used to being praised for her quick thinking and mercenary approach to situations,” Patrick said. “She doesn’t ever take her work personally—no matter the results or consequences for others. The ends nearly always justify the means.”

“I don’t want her anywhere near the program,” Jack said quietly. “It takes heart to defend the planet and the ability to understand personal sacrifice.”

Their surroundings darkened as they left street lights behind and turned off the highway. The road narrowed a bit on the way to his lodge, but it wasn’t that treacherous. It was plowed as needed, and he had snow tires, so he wasn’t worried about the safety. He did try to keep as focused as possible since he was tired and probably should’ve had security drive them home.

“Did you ever go there?” Jack questioned.

“God, no,” Patrick said and laughed a little. “When I seek a woman—I prefer soft, sweet ones.”

“And when you seek a man?”

“Oh, I think you know,” Patrick said dryly. “Fishing for compliments, Jack?”

“Nah, I know I’m great.” Jack passed through the gates of his property with a wave in the direction of the guard house and shortly parked in the garage.

The kitchen light was shining into the garage from the small window. But he stopped just short of opening it and listened to the silence. Patrick moved close.

“Problem?”

“Just thinking about what it will be like when they’ve both gone off to school,” Jack admitted. “I don’t think I ever once, in all these years, wanted a quiet house.”

“I get it,” Patrick said.

“Yeah.” Jack cleared his throat and punched in the code, then opened the door. “Need a snack? Beer?”

“A shower,” Patrick said. “And maybe a glass of wine.”

“Sounds like a deal,” Jack said and shrugged out of his jacket. “Meet me in the kitchen in thirty.”

Patrick nodded and headed toward the guest room. Jack couldn’t help but note a slight slump to the man’s shoulders and wondered just how difficult the whole situation with finding out he had an adult son was. He had no frame of reference, and while he’d certainly expected to have more children, he really hoped he hadn’t fathered a child when he was younger that he didn’t know about. He’d married a little late by the standards of some, and Charlie had been born within a year of the ink drying on the marriage license. Sara hadn’t wanted more as she hated pregnancy. Not that Jack could blame her, that shit had looked like a horror show from the first bout of morning sickness forward.

He showered and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt before taking a full minute to argue with himself about shaving, which he never did at night. Since there was no need to set that sort of ridiculous expectation, he left the bathroom before his vanity got the best of him.

In the kitchen, he found Ester leaning against the counter with her phone and two bottles of water.

“What’s up, kid?”

She frowned a little and put her phone away. “I was hoping that you’d tell Charlie not to go to the Air Force Academy.”

“Ah,” Jack said and pulled a bottle of red from the rack. “I get your concern, and I can’t say it doesn’t worry me as well. Military service is a hard road to walk, and I’ve never spared him the facts or the truth about it. That being said, I can’t…stand in the way of the man he is. I’m going to be proud of him no matter what he does, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Ester said with a huff and grabbed the bottles. “He’s just tender-hearted, and I think…don’t think I mean this in an ugly way…serving in the military, being in combat, is going to ruin that.”

“Of course, it will,” Jack said gently. “The first time I took him hunting and allowed him to take the shot, he cried.”

“I remember,” Ester said and hummed under her breath. “I love venison, though. We should pull out some steaks.”

“Put it on your to-do list for tomorrow,” Jack suggested. “Any more contact from Aiden?”

“Nah, he’s apparently petrified to have anything to do with me. I did check, as much as I could, and his father wasn’t physically violent with him. But he did lay down the law the way only a Marine can.” Ester frowned. “I feel stupid and ashamed to have dated him—knowing what he has the potential to be like. I mean, it’s just…that kind of behavior is on the list of warning signs we got in that pamphlet on domestic violence in health class.”

“Were there any other signs?” Jack asked.

“He was jealous of Charlie, but every single guy I’ve ever dated is jealous of Charlie,” Ester shrugged. “I don’t tolerate it, though, and Aiden learned to keep his mouth shut about it. Most people don’t understand my friendship with Charlie, and that’s fine—it’s not something they need to understand. They just need to respect it and know that he’ll come first.”

Jack considered that and sighed. “Ester, there’s going to come a day when Charlie can’t and shouldn’t come first for you. What about marriage? Are you going to expect your husband to take a second seat to your best friend?”

Ester made a face. “This is an awful conversation, and I don’t want to talk about theoretical husbands at all.” She darted out of the kitchen with a little wave. “Good night, General!”

Jack shook his head and opened the wine before snagging two glasses.

“That’s going to be a complete clusterfuck,” Patrick muttered as he appeared at Jack’s side.

“Sneaky much?” Jack asked.

Patrick grinned. “The Navy trained me well.”

“And yeah, I know it’s going to be a hot mess. They’re both just so…invested in this image they have of their current and future friendship, that they don’t leave room for anyone else. Even when they date, those partners are often their third or fourth thought in any given moment. It’s not sustainable, but there’s no easy way to say it.”

Patrick picked up the glasses. “Is there a room they won’t come trotting right into?”

“They’ll both knock if my bedroom door is shut,” Jack said and wet his lips. “But that might be….”

“It’s perfect,” Patrick said and inclined his head toward the bottle.

Jack picked up the bottle and led him through the house to his bedroom. He shut and locked the door behind them.

“These doors go out to the deck behind the lodge?”

“Yeah, there’s a door off the den as well,” Jack said as he joined Patrick at the doors. “Nice space when the weather is warm.” He poured the wine when he was proffered the glasses, then set the bottle on the nightstand. He took a glass from Patrick’s hand and stared. “What’s on your mind?”

“Children that grow up too fast,” Patrick said. “Do you know what I thought when I met you last year?”

“Something along the lines of…there’s that asshole who sent my son to another galaxy.”

Patrick laughed, and Jack motioned toward the bed. It was a relief that the other man didn’t hesitate to sit and get comfortable. “Well, probably, pretty close, actually. I didn’t know where John was going, but he came home and told me he had a long-term assignment on the deck that would make communication impossible for a year or more. I wanted to interfere, to get him reassigned. I even contacted the former Commandant of the Marine Corps, Franklin Paul, and he told me that I would be doing John’s career an immense disservice by interfering. He also told me that he trusted the commanding officer of the mission and that it was very important.”

“You clearly didn’t interfere, or I would’ve heard about it.”

Patrick frowned. “About an hour after I got off the phone with General Paul, the newly elected President of the United States called me and asked me how I’d feel about leaving my position as commander of the Pacific fleet. I said no, that I wasn’t interested in leaving my command. He thanked me for my service and ended the call.

“Ten months later, I hadn’t heard from my son at all in any single fashion, and I was about to lose my mind. I started making it known that I wanted answers regarding John’s deployment. The first few weeks, I was subtle, but that got me nowhere, so I showed up in Franklin Paul’s office without an appointment and demanded to know if John was dead.”

Jack exhaled slowly. “I have to admit, at that point, I wouldn’t have been willing to declare a single member of the expedition dead. We were preparing the Prometheus to go to Pegasus, and I fully expected to find the expedition alive and well. I wasn’t prepared to accept any other outcome. Of course, the Prometheus was highjacked then destroyed before it could reach Pegasus. We counted ourselves fortunate to get the entire crew back.”

Patrick nodded. “I’ve known Franklin for decades. He’s my ex-wife’s godfather, and he was furious that I thought he would keep such a thing from me. I couldn’t make myself be all that contrite about it. Then he told me to take my ass home, and when POTUS called to offer me a damn job again, I should say yes because it was the only way I was going to find out where John was.”

“You’re saying President Hayes blackmailed you into becoming the Director of Homeworld Security.”

“It was George Hammond’s idea, apparently. He held out another year instead of retiring because I said no the first time,” Patrick flushed and took a sip of wine. “So, I took a desk job I didn’t want and got read into the Stargate Program. They started from the beginning—I’m talking all the way back to fucking Giza. By the time I got to your first world off-mission, I was very invested in what I was being told. And when I found out that John had gone through the stargate to another galaxy and hadn’t been heard from in nearly a year—I cried for the first time since the day he was born.”

Jack reached out and took Patrick’s free hand. “I….”

“It’s not your fault,” Patrick said. “At any rate, I took in every single thing I could about the program, then I asked to meet you. Well, I had a list of things I wanted to see and do. Meeting you was at the top because I needed to know what you were doing to make a connection with the expedition. As it turned out, you were just a week away from launching the Daedalus, and you had that video of John telling me goodbye.”

“I didn’t want to show it to you,” Jack said roughly. “If you’ll remember.”

“I remember the argument we had over it very well.” Patrick squeezed his hand. “And I honestly don’t regret watching it even if it did break my heart because it revealed something about my oldest son that I’d never known.”

“What was that?” Jack asked and looked down at their hands.

“John’s not afraid of a fucking thing,” Patrick said roughly. “Not even death. All these years, I let his mutation shape how I saw him, and I often projected my fears onto him. He never did, and it was startling. Also, yes, you’re still the asshole that sent my son to Pegasus.”

“I can’t say it wasn’t dangerous as fuck, and I did wonder if I’d get them back, but I didn’t send a single person to Pegasus under the assumption that I’d never see them again. I wanted and expected them all to come home.” Jack cleared his throat. “Honestly, I have that expectation every single time I send someone through the gate. I don’t believe in suicide missions.”

“The IOA does, for the record. They basically consider the entire program a stop-gap and nothing more. They’d sacrifice every single person serving in the SGC to save their personal lives. Most don’t even give a shit about the citizens of their own countries.” Patrick took a sip of wine and settled back on the pillows. “Funnily enough, I probably haven’t hung out in someone’s bedroom like this since I was Charlie’s age.”

Jack laughed. “Yeah, I was about that age myself. I went from living in my parents’ house to the military, then the home Sara wanted.”

“Why did you marry a woman?”

Jack shrugged and took a deep breath. “My parents were very conservative, and my father had expectations of me that were difficult to ignore. I told him once that I didn’t think I liked girls. I was just fifteen and confused. He looked me right in the eye and said he’d never asked much of me—but that he wasn’t going to tolerate any abnormal behavior from his only son. Then he told me to find a nice girl, marry her, and give him a grandson.”

“So you did.”

“Yeah, and I can’t regret it because I’d have never gotten Charlie any other way. Sara was horrified, angry, and embarrassed to realize that I was gay. She’d hoped for bisexual when I started dating the first man after the divorce. So she asked, and hell, I couldn’t lie to her anymore. I was tired of lying about it. Maybe it would’ve been different if my father had still been alive. I hope not. I hope I could’ve told that old man that asking me to live a lie and sleep with a woman every goddamed night was a fucking lot to ask of a gay man.”

“I told my father I was bisexual around the same age. He just shook his head, drank a whole glass of whiskey in one swallow, and said, of course, you are.” Patrick shrugged when Jack laughed. “There was a time when I was younger that I rarely missed an opportunity to get laid, and he knew that well enough.”

“What did you end up doing about the second-date situation?” Jack questioned

Patrick sighed. “Okay, so I asked Tony.” He shrugged when Jack laughed. “And he said I should either ghost her or tell her I wanted five more kids. Since he did her background check for Major Teldy, he knows her to be vehemently child-free. So I texted her and told her that before we got serious, I’d need to talk to her about how many children she’d be willing to have.”

“Oh, god.” Jack laughed. “What did she say?”

“She texted back with her lawyer’s information and said that children and compensation could be negotiated in a prenup.” Patrick huffed. “I told her I could pay a woman to have a child for me without having to marry her and endure the drama of a future divorce. She told me to have a nice life. I should’ve ghosted her. Turns out, it might have been the more civilized option.”

“I think that’s Ester’s preferred method of break up. Charlie is excessively and insultingly honest. Neither are great at dumping people as a result.”

“What about you?”

“Well, the last serious relationship I had….” Jack shrugged. “It was before declassification, and he grew frustrated with how unavailable I often am. He’s a doctor in private practice in Colorado Springs. I told him from the start that I didn’t work the kind of hours that was conducive to a relationship, and he swore he could be patient. He lasted six months. I’d canceled three dates in a row, the last one due to the fact that Baal brought his vicious ass to Earth in a ship and tried to invade.”

“Great excuse for missing dinner,” Patrick said.

“Yeah, after the whole declassification thing happened, and that particular event was highlighted, he called me to apologize for cursing me out and dumping me shortly after the SGC thwarted an alien invasion. I wasn’t interested in going back to that since he’d said some really disrespectful things about the military and my service during that final argument. I accepted the apology for what it was worth but said no to further contact.”

“Did Charlie like him?”

Jack couldn’t help the face he made. “They never met. I don’t make a habit of bringing partners to my house, and they certainly don’t meet my kids…I figured a year was a good mark, and I’ve rarely dated anyone that long since my divorce.”

Patrick took a sip of wine. “I can’t judge you that front. I didn’t introduce John to a single person I dated until after he was eighteen, and even then, it was more of a passing thing. I did have people try to insert themselves into my life to get access to him…to get information. There came a point when I realized that enforcing the secret of his mutation so fiercely had made many people dangerous merely because they were curious.”

“I can see it.” Jack stretched his legs out and rested against the footboard. “I don’t know what you want from me, Patrick.”

“What if I just want you—your time and attention?” Patrick questioned and raised an eyebrow when Jack blinked in surprise. “I can buy practically anything I want because my mother married money, and it trickled down to me as such things do. But the genuinely valuable things in this world can’t be bought at all.” His lips quirked a little. “Like love and loyalty.”

Jack laughed despite the seriousness of the conversation. “I’ve never seen anyone call an officer of that rank a whore before. It was breathtaking.”

“Fornell was delighted,” Patrick said. “What do you want from me?”

“I honestly don’t know, but for the moment, your undivided personal attention would be a good start,” Jack admitted. “Though in the spirit of full disclosure, Charlie considers you prime stepparent material.”

Patrick grinned. “Good to know.” He set aside his wine. “Come here, Jack.”

Jack hummed under his breath and moved to his knees. He set his glass down beside Patrick’s and dropped down on the bed right beside him. “Got something on your mind?”

“You,” Patrick admitted. “You said you didn’t regret marrying Sara. What do you regret?”

He considered brushing off the question with a half-assed answer that would serve but wouldn’t necessarily be the truth Patrick Sheppard was seeking. “When the program first started, I was in the closet. I kept my personal life and wants as separate as possible. Charlie knew, of course, but I wasn’t comfortable in my skin, having lived a lie for so long. I created some expectations unintentionally with a civilian scientist, and it hurt her a lot when I didn’t return her interest.

“It was difficult, and I ended up coming out in a very blunt fashion that left my own team startled and offended. It hurt Daniel as he felt like we had a great friendship and that I trusted him. I do trust him, but I’d spent decades in the closet at that point. It was hard to be myself. I made him understand eventually.”

“And the scientist?”

“She went to Atlantis and was killed during the nanite plague incident,” Jack said roughly. “She’d have never been in Pegasus at all if she hadn’t been basically running from me. Carter has told me more than once that I can’t blame myself. But it was telling that Dr. Brandon got herself put on the expedition the very day it came down that I was going to be the new CO of the SGC.”

“She made her own choices, for good and bad,” Patrick said. “I spent literal years trying to make sure John understood that how others felt about him couldn’t be his responsibility. He was a sweet and attractive boy, and by the time high school came around—various people basically threw themselves at him on the regular. If he didn’t catch them, there were a lot of hurt feelings to be had. I didn’t want to harden him or destroy the empathy that has defined him practically from birth. But, I had to teach him how to create boundaries very young.”

“Ester told me that she wished I’d said no to Charlie going to the academy and that she thought he was too tender-hearted for the military.”

“Ah, well, that’s more about her than him,” Patrick said. “She’ll have some adjustments to make that could be painful for them both. He’ll expect her unfailing support, and she might not be able to provide it when it comes to being uniform.”

“Yeah,” Jack sighed. “What about you? What do you regret?”

“Not keeping track of Claire DiNozzo,” Patrick said. “Because if I had, I would’ve questioned the parentage of her child as politely and discreetly as I could. DiNozzo, Sr. is a piece of shit, and I loathe him for how he treated my son. I don’t know if he knows that Tony isn’t his or even how long he might have known. Would he have agreed to have a child that wasn’t his named after him?”

“I couldn’t have,” Jack admitted. “It would’ve ended my marriage, if I’m honest. I can’t tolerate that kind of betrayal. There’s a lot of uncertainty in my professional life—the gate is and always will be a very dangerous thing. I need to be able to count on the people I allow in my personal circle.”

Patrick nodded and looked over his face intently. “Permission to get very familiar?”

Jack laughed. “Granted.” He cupped the back of Patrick’s head and pulled him in.

The kisses were just as soft and exploring as the first. Patrick Sheppard had a reputation for being a difficult man to please and to know. It was relieving to realize that he was so open in private. Jack tugged slowly, and Patrick accepted the direction easily enough, sliding on top with a soft little noise of agreement. Jack spread his legs and was rewarded immediately with the heavy press of hard cock against his own.

“We shouldn’t take this too far,” Patrick murmured as he shifted away a little. “I haven’t been tested in a while, and I don’t want to take any risks on that front with you.”

“God, I’d never live it down with Janet if she had to treat me for an STD,” Jack said with a laugh and huffed a little when Patrick laid back on the bed. He tucked close, though, and let one hand rest on Jack’s stomach. “Any reason for concern?”

“No, but I’d feel better if I were completely certain about it,” Patrick said. “If we were in DC, I’d have made time this morning to see my GP for a workup. I, very briefly, considered asking Teldy to set one up in the mountain. But that seems like some weird line.”

“We’ll all get physicals and blood work done first thing in the morning,” Jack said. “No one goes to Pegasus with anything contagious or incurable. It’s part of the expedition mandate.” He wet his lips. “Well, if you aren’t going to get me off—you should go back to the guest room so I can take care of myself.”

Patrick laughed. “I didn’t say that. I just don’t think we should do what I would prefer.” He slid his hand right down and into Jack’s pants, nimble fingers curled around his cock.

“What would….” Jack took a deep breath. “Would you prefer?”

“Oh, I’d like to suck your dick,” Patrick murmured as he sought another kiss. “And I really want to fuck you, so I hope that’s something you do.”

“It is, honestly, my favorite thing to do,” Jack admitted roughly and rolled onto his side to face Patrick. After some readjustment, he worked his hand between them and into the pair of flannel pajama bottoms Patrick was wearing. They turned out to be all he was wearing. “Commando?”

“I only force myself to wear underwear when I’m in uniform,” Patrick admitted and laughed when Jack huffed gently against his cheek. “We’re going to make a complete mess of each other with this—like a pair of untried boys.”

Jack laughed. “There’s precious little I haven’t tried.” He used his free hand to cup Patrick’s head. “Kiss me.”

He kept a firm grip on Patrick’s cock, stroking the length slowly. It was hard to concentrate on the job at hand. Patrick’s hand was calloused, much like his own, which was kind of startling considering how long the man had been out of the field. He was clearly hitting the gun range very regularly. The thought derailed him a little, which was good because he really didn’t want to come too soon. It had honestly been ages since he’d had anything but his own hand.

“I’m really looking forward to fucking you,” Patrick said against his jaw as he broke the kiss.

The reminder to leave no marks barely stayed behind his teeth. Jack knew he didn’t need to give a career Navy officer that kind of instruction. Patrick pressed his face against Jack’s neck and came with a low groan, which was such a turn-on that Jack came with him.

Jack relaxed on the bed as they separated, and Patrick exhaled slowly as he rolled onto his back.

“Well, you were right about the mess.”

Patrick laughed. “Worth it.”

“Are we rushing this?”

Patrick huffed. “I’ve been flirting with you for a whole damn year, Jack. We’re practically glacial as is.” He sat up on both elbows. “You didn’t notice, did you?”

Jack considered how to answer that question without admitting that he rarely ever noticed anyone flirting with him until they got right in his face. “You did get me a whole team of SEALs, which was honestly better than flowers. I really like them.”

Patrick sighed. “You clueless, asshole. It’s a good thing you’re gorgeous, and you saved the planet.” He pressed a soft kiss against Jack’s mouth then rolled out of the bed. “Now I’m going to take a second shower before I decide it’s a good idea to act half my age.” He poured himself some more wine and headed for the door. “Good night.”

“Night.” Jack stayed where he was for a moment, sated and curiously relaxed.

Genuine relaxation was kind of hard to come by his circumstances. On any given day, the continued existence of their species on Earth rested on the decisions he was forced to make. He wondered how Hammond had done it for so many years and how long he could last. Maybe, having a partner at work and at home could make the difference. Running Homeworld out of the SGC probably made more sense than DC since it really shouldn’t be any sort of political position at all. It was designed to defend the program and the planet.

He rolled out of bed, compiling a list of questions for Patrick regarding an official move.

 

 

Chapter 8

“Mom asked me if you wanted child support,” Ester blurted out and blushed furiously when Jack gaped at her.

“What?” Jack questioned.

“She was being a jerk, obviously, and was really bent about me not being at home. Then she was even worse when I pointed out that I hadn’t been home in over a week, and she just hadn’t noticed. She doesn’t actually care. She’s just pissy because she didn’t know where I was when her boyfriend came over. Apparently, he asked about me.” She made a face. “Which is ugh because when I met him that one time months ago, he looked at my tits throughout most of the conversation. Plus, he’s like fifty or something.”

Jack frowned. “Text me his name and everything you know about him.” She started to shake her head. “I mean it. Also, I’m fifty-three.”

“No, you’re not,” she said and scoffed, which made him laugh. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, as of October. We had cake, remember?”

“I remember the cake, but the last time I asked your age, you told me it was classified.” He laughed, and she rolled her eyes. “If you’re that old, then Frank has to be seventy or something.”

“Or just profoundly unhealthy and out of shape,” Patrick said. “Also, drinking and smoking can age you significantly.” He set his phone down on the table and then went to the coffee pot. “You’ve never read his official profile online?”

“Oh, we both avoid all of that stuff on the Internet,” Charlie said. “The press is awful.”

She stared for a moment. “Well, how old are you, Admiral Sheppard?”

“Fifty-five,” Patrick said as he stirred a bit of sugar in his coffee and came back to the table. “And no man our age should be looking at a seventeen-year-old’s chest so much that she notices. So, give Jack his details. A background check should be done. If he’s a predator, you definitely need to know before you even think about sleeping in your mother’s house while he’s there.”

“Oh, god, I’d deball that bastard if he touched me,” Ester said huffily but picked up her phone and started typing with a sly grin. “What’s that called anyways, Charles? Deballing, I mean.”

“Castration,” Charlie said. “And stop talking about deballing people.”

“I thought castration was like when they cut off everything….” She trailed off with a laugh when Charlie huffed dramatically at her. “Lyle Barnard, he’s a CPA from Denver. He meanders my mom’s way several times a month to bang.” She flipped one hand. “I always come over here when he’s in town, anyways. I don’t want to listen to my mom get banged, ever.”

Charlie nodded his head and muttered something about California under his breath. Since he knew his ex-wife to be kind of vocal in bed, he could just imagine what that meant. Jack figured he should probably say something, but he wasn’t entirely sure what. Ester’s mother just didn’t give a shit, and as a result, her daughter had a very hard time offering her a single bit of respect.

“I’ll be going to Pegasus this afternoon,” Jack said. “Unless something terrible happens here, then I’ll probably be in the mountain for days on end. Security will drive you to and from the store if you need to do shopping, Charlie. No other stops and no outings. I expect to be gone for around thirty-six hours. It could be more, but it won’t be less. Colonel Carter will be in charge in the mountain until I return, so you can call her if you have a need or want an update on my schedule.” He focused on Ester. “I’d prefer you stay here, but if your mother throws a fit, ask a Marine on the gate to drive you home.”

“I’ll stay,” Ester said. “I’ll marinate the venison steaks for when you come back, or we’ll eat it all if you don’t come back in a timely fashion.”

“Don’t threaten me at breakfast,” Jack said evenly, and she laughed.

* * * *

Patrick put a hand on Jack’s arm, and the man turned to him instead of starting the truck. “I’ll have to go back to DC after we return from Atlantis—there will be some things to iron out, and I’ll have to meet with Tom Morrow and probably POTUS regarding moving Homeworld here. It was only put in DC originally because George Hammond wanted to be closer to his grandchildren. He suggested I make an office at Area 51 or here in Colorado before I even sat down at the desk for the first time.”

“What do you need from me?”

“Well, beyond the room to spread out my operation, which currently consists of fifty-two assets, I think I want an apartment or townhouse in between the mountain and here. I’ll need to request housing for the military assets at Fort Carson, and I’ll probably lose some of the civilians who won’t want to move. Plus, I’m getting any NID cast-offs that are worth saving.” Patrick cleared his throat as Jack laced their fingers together. “There’s a DOD office not far from the base. I don’t want to live on the base.”

“The program has extensive privileges at Fort Carson,” Jack said. “There were problems early on since it’s an Army base, and the commander over there wasn’t in the know about the SGC. He got bent regularly about the DOD housing a full battery of Marines on his base. They behaved, of course, and it was really more about his lack of knowledge.”

Patrick nodded and looked down at their hands. “I need a favor.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I need you to tell me if you think I’m crowding Tony. I don’t want to make the wrong move with him and have him resent me. There’s already a lot of room for that.”

Jack frowned. “I don’t see any reason why he should resent you for his mother’s secret, Patrick.”

“Yeah, well, that’s the rational position, right? I was the one that had unprotected sex with a woman and never bothered to reflect on that shit. Frankly, before AIDS became a well-known thing, I rarely ever used condoms unless I was asked to. I left birth control to the woman, which I know is bullshit. I was just fortunate that I never contracted something that wouldn’t come off.”

“I admit I was much the same,” Jack admitted. “It was just very haphazard, and my dad never much cared to give me any sort of sex talk. These days they pass condoms out in the school nurse’s office. Charlie brought home a whole bag full a few weeks ago.” He flushed. “And put a whole bunch of them in my nightstand.”

Patrick laughed. “You’ve got a great kid, you know?”

“Yeah,” Jack admitted. “I got lucky, honestly.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Patrick said. “You’ve clearly put in the work, and you’re a great father. Charlie’s a good man, and that’s the kind of thing that doesn’t happen by accident.”

“Sometimes, I wish he was ten again,” Jack confessed. “And more concerned about whether or not he should sacrifice one of his gifts at Christmas so Ester can have a Barbie Dreamhouse.”

Patrick grinned. “Did you get her one?”

“Of course I did,” Jack said roughly. “Her mother refused because she said it was sexist and an insult to modern women everywhere. So, I also got her a bunch of Barbies too—the career ones. She carried that astronaut doll wherever she went until she was thirteen. All of their toys are in the attic now, and I kind of hate that, too. Was it hard to let John go?”

“Oh, I never let go of John,” Patrick said. “I just gave him the room he needed to live the life he wanted, and that was hard enough. There isn’t a day in the future where I can see really not worrying about my…sons.” He sighed. “That’s so weird.”

“I bet,” Jack murmured. “But you’ll get through it.” He tugged a little, and Patrick leaned into his space. They shared a kiss, a soft brushing of lips that made Jack want far more than they had room to accomplish, so he sat back and cleared his throat. “Here’s hoping today isn’t terrible.”

The drive to the mountain was highlighted by the fact that Anne Teldy had, indeed, taken over the security escort. Jack found the situation very amusing and more so for the fact that Patrick had no real recourse that wouldn’t upset at least one of his sons. He had a feeling the man went out of his way to do the exact opposite of that on a regular basis when it came to John, and now he had another son in his business with a great deal more reach since Tony was actually on Earth.

By the time they got out of the truck, Teldy was waiting by the entrance, and she had Lt. Sparrow in tow. Jasper Sparrow was fresh out of the academy, polished to a shine, and so green that he made Jack feel old and very jaded.

“Good morning, sirs,” Teldy said. “Agent DiNozzo has set up three interviews this morning, and Agent Fornell has returned to the mountain. Agent Lange is due to arrive within the hour and will be meeting with JAG regarding the Marines that have been implicated.” She cleared her throat and stared pointedly at Sparrow. “Lt. Sparrow will be undergoing some additional training, General O’Neill, so please feel free to reach out to me if you need something. I’ve added your schedule to mine.” She offered them both cell phones. “While you’re both exempt from the new personal cellphone policy, you were issued new ones for work. I’ve programmed all the numbers you might need, including my own.”

Jack took the one he was offered and grinned when Patrick took his with a sigh. “What kind of training do you need, Jasper?”

Sparrow flushed. “I’m apparently deficient in several areas. I’m to spend at least two hours on the training course this morning, and my range scores aren’t…up to the major’s standard.”

Jack focused on Teldy. “You realize he’s not a Marine, right?”

“That’s no excuse for mediocrity, sir,” Teldy said firmly. “Have you both eaten? I can have breakfast delivered.”

“We ate at home,” Jack said. “I’ll call you if I need you, Lt. Sparrow.”

“Yes, sir,” Sparrow said with a quick look in Teldy’s direction.

“Dismissed,” she said, and the kid trotted off immediately. “Whoever assigned him to your office needs to be cursed out. He finished in the bottom twenty percent of his class, barely passed his last physical fitness assessment, and his continuing education choices leave a lot to be desired. He’s doing the bare minimum around here.”

“His grandma is a senator,” Jack said. “I’m doing her a favor.”

Teldy’s outraged face was epic, and Patrick laughed.

“Sir.” She took a deep breath, and Jack wondered if that calmed her down at all. She frowned. “Does Walter know about this?”

“Sergeant Harriman isn’t the boss around here, Major,” Jack said dryly as the elevator door opened. “Patrick?”

“I think you broke her,” Patrick said mildly as he followed. “Come along, Major.”

Teldy took another deep breath, entered the elevator, and stabbed the button for the appropriate floor.

“Why did you do this favor?” Patrick questioned.

Jack shrugged. “I’ve never had an aide, officially. Most of those duties were spread out over operations. Walter suggested I get one, and Lynn Cutheridge, whom I know only in passing, asked me to take her grandson under my wing, so to speak. It seemed like the best political choice I could make, considering her placement on the appropriations committee. He’s only been here for a few weeks. I think he just needs a trajectory.”

“I’m sure Anne can give him some direction,” Patrick said in amusement. “Right, Major?”

“I’ll get him squared away, sir,” Teldy said, and Jack briefly considered rescuing the kid from her clutches. “And I’m telling Walter.”

Jack was pretty sure that was a threat, and he didn’t know what he’d done since he woke up to have earned himself threats from two different women.

Patrick headed for his temporary office as they left the elevator, which wasn’t far from Jack’s. He wondered how it would work out when his whole operation was moved. He sat down at the desk, opened the laptop, and logged in while Teldy bolted an entire cup of coffee as she stood by their makeshift coffee bar.

“I’m going to move Homeworld here to the mountain.”

“Thank fuck,” Teldy muttered, and Patrick laughed. She poured herself another cup of coffee, then one for him. He watched her add the amount of sugar he preferred and bring it to him. “Pardon me. I believe that’s a sound decision, sir.”

Patrick took the coffee and sat back in his chair. “The logistics aren’t going to be simple. We’ll need housing on Fort Carson made available. I’ve heard that’s historically been a problem for the program. But the leadership changed out there about six months ago, so that might be easier these days. We’ll need office space, and I think I’m going to have to kick NORAD out of the mountain entirely.”

Anne hummed under her breath. “Frankly, sir, NORAD should’ve been moved years ago. There was a push to move it to Peterson a few years after the Stargate program began because of a foothold situation, but there was some resistance. The IOA wanted to move them out shortly after they were formed, but the president at the time refused because he didn’t want to give them any more than he had to.”

“So you’re saying I could probably have NORAD moved easily.”

“Yes, and putting Homeworld Security on top of the SGC’s operations in the mountain would be best. We need to defend the gate from both directions, and since protecting this facility is part of your mandate, it just makes sense.” Teldy sat down when he motioned her to do so. “I think it would be best to move NORAD to Peterson, which is where we should house our Air Force personnel as well. We can send the Marines to Fort Carson. I can wrangle enlisted and officer quarters free for those who don’t have families, and adjustments to housing allowances can be done for anyone bringing family with them to Colorado.”

“And the civilians?”

“We’ll offer to move them just like we would military assets, and I can put together a real estate guide with the best choices in relation to crime rate and the quality of the schools. The cost of living is much lower here than in DC and the surrounding area where most of our personnel lives. The commute would be shorter. Neither place has great weather.”

“I know you came back to Earth so your wife could have a baby and that you picked DC because it was closer to her mother.”

Anne took a deep breath. “If Allison was happy in DC, then I would just commute here every morning via Arcturus Station. As is, she hates the DOD lab she’s in and has been channeling McKay for the past three weeks. Plus, she’s decided that she likes her mother more with some distance. A one-hour flight away is not enough. She keeps introducing me as Allison’s friend, sir.”

Patrick shook his head and took a sip of coffee. “I’m sure they can find a position for her in the mountain. Before you start working the logistics of moving the rest of the operation—find your lady a house and get her moved. I think Colonel Carter is your best bet regarding knowing available positions in the mountain that might suit Dr. Porter. The less stress you have to deal with personally, the easier it’ll be to handle the rest of the move.”

Anne pulled out a small notebook and started making notes. “What kind of accommodations would you want? Townhouse like in DC?”

“A townhouse or condo is preferred,” Patrick said. “As close to the mountain as possible. Four to five bedrooms. I’ll sell the property in DC and buy here.”

“I’ll find a real estate agent to work with me on housing,” Anne said. “Agent DiNozzo can run background checks for me on that front. I recommend that you use a private, bonded moving company for your own things.”

“I’ve never let the military move me around,” Patrick admitted. “My grandmother’s piano is very valuable both from a fiscal point of view and a sentimental level. I need to have a conversation with Tom Morrow about the move, but I think he’ll approve since he thinks I’m wasting my time in DC.”

“I’d like to call Allison and let her know,” Anne said. “Maybe it’ll prevent her from plotting the murder of her lab partner.” She paused. “Or at least she won’t follow through with any of those plans.”

“I do need to speak with you about a private matter.”

“Is it about Agent DiNozzo or General O’Neill?” Teldy questioned with a clear unreadable expression.

“You’re a very dangerous woman, Major,” Patrick said. “Tony DiNozzo is my son.” Her expression didn’t change at all. “Did you already know?”

“I suspected,” she admitted. “But I’ve been in close proximity to you both repeatedly over the last few months. He reminds me of the colonel in a way I can’t really explain. Also, he has your hands.”

* * * *

They’d been in the mountain for several hours, and Tony had plowed through a series of interviews with Fornell at his side, and they were on the final civilian transfer. As promised, they’d all been taken through medical, where Janet Frasier had given each of them a physical and took blood. He’d taken the time to tell her he’d be transferring into the mountain and arranged for his medical records to be moved into her care from Bethesda. He rolled his water bottle between his hands as he watched everyone in the interview room get settled.

Dr. Jennifer Keller looked a lot more subdued, Patrick noted as Tony sat down with the woman in the interrogation room. She had an officer from JAG sitting beside her. Fornell chose to lean on the wall behind Tony with a file in hand, which he was casually flipping through.

“Agent DiNozzo, my client, and I have spoken at length regarding her actions and intent. Is it still your intention to have her charged with sedition?”

“That call has been made above my head, Commander Corrigan,” Tony said. “The images she took and sent to Earth have been made public, thus giving many enemies of the program and the planet the ability to locate Atlantis. It’s disconcerting to say, but Dr. Keller’s crimes against Colonel Sheppard pale in comparison.”

“That wasn’t what I intended,” Keller protested. “Doesn’t that matter at all?”

“Your intent was disgusting enough,” Fornell interjected. “And, no, it no longer matters what you meant, what you wanted, or what the potential outcome was of your original actions. These are the circumstances we have, and the President of the United States has declared that every single person involved in the creation and distribution of those images will be charged with sedition. Because they are now in the public domain, your trial will no longer be sealed within the auspices of Homeworld Security.”

“I don’t want that,” Keller protested. “I want a private trial!” Her hands started to shake. “I can’t….my father is elderly and ill. He’ll be so ashamed of me.” Tears streamed down her face as she turned to her lawyer. “Can I take a plea deal? Something private? I’ll go to an off-world facility. You can tell him I’m dead. It would be better than….him knowing that people think I’m a traitor.”

“You are a traitor,” Tony said mildly. “We won’t fake your death, but a plea deal is certainly possible. You’ll go to a federal prison here on Earth. There is no need to do otherwise now that we have no hope of protecting the knowledge of your bad acts. As to your father, he has to know he raised a spiteful, jealous, and entitled person. Surely a charge of sedition won’t be a huge surprise.”

Keller wiped her face with both hands. “Why am I here? If there’s nothing I can say or do to change the charges, then…why should I answer any more questions for you?”

“This meeting was set up to inform you of your impending transfer from this facility to a federal holding facility in DC,” Tony explained. “Agent Fornell and your lawyer are overseeing that process, Dr. Keller. Nothing can really save you from the ramifications of your actions at this point, but is there anything you’d like to tell us?”

Her gaze narrowed. “Nothing can help me? Are you sure?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “You’re welcome to try, but I don’t believe you have anything new to tell me.”

She wet her lips and took a deep breath. “I was asked by Dr. Bradley to help him investigate the possibility of helping a goa’uld survive being implanted into a mutant. I was considering it because it’s an interesting possibility. Then I found out the target was Rodney. I couldn’t let them risk his life like that, so I told Bradley that it wasn’t viable and that there wasn’t enough research into human mutation to even speculate regarding treatments for the symbiote. I suggested Colonel Sheppard be used instead, but Dr. Bradley said we couldn’t take that kind of risk with a military asset of Sheppard’s profile. He has a list of mutants in the mountain, but none of them were viable for his needs. The organization he works for wanted someone they could place in a very valuable position. One with unique access, which equaled McKay or Miko Kusanagi on the city.

“The options in the mountain were even more limited since most of the facility is run by the military, and civilian mutants aren’t thick on the ground. So, they were considering you as a test subject, Agent DiNozzo.” She inclined her head. “They were very curious as to how your mutation would respond to the presence of a goa’uld. The dual circumstance of a host is already quite fascinating; combine that with your mental abilities. If we could make sure both host and symbiote survived…. Well, the circumstances would’ve been unique, to say the least.”

Tony stared for a long moment, and Patrick wondered what he was thinking. His gaze drifted over the various monitors, showing everyone’s faces in the room, before he focused on the room itself, where they had a side profile view of everyone.

“Interestingly enough, Dr. Bradley’s thought exercise around mutation and goa’uld symbiotes was designed to test potential Trust recruits within the program. He would contact individuals that he believed he could use to further his cause for the Trust, engage them in conversation, and eventually broach the subject of the experiment. Those who responded with curiosity were put on a list for his future use. Those who were negative and outraged were placated with discussions about philosophy.

“Then there were people like you, who were very interested and quick to offer suggestions and additions to his experimental model. You were only one of the four he recruited in the last three years to actually deflect attention away from McKay and onto a different target. Per his notes, he found that to be an interesting development and wondered if you could be talked into getting pregnant with McKay’s child. Fortunately, that wouldn’t have ever worked since Dr. McKay made sure he couldn’t father a child more than a decade ago.” Tony smiled even as Keller’s mouth dropped open. “Also, thanks for confirming your involvement in that situation. Not that it really matters, but charging you with conspiracy to commit human experimentation on a mutant makes me feel better.”

Fornell took out his cell phone and sent a text. “Please stand, Dr. Keller. We’ll be traveling to DC via Arcturus Station. Commander Corrigan, you’ll need to pick up your bag.”

“It wouldn’t have been any great loss,” Keller said huffily as her lawyer prodded her out of her chair. “Mutants like you do nothing to really benefit the rest of us. What good are you?”

“What good are you?” Fornell interjected. “What do you do for society and mankind that can’t be replicated by literally thousands of people all over this damn planet, Dr. Keller?”

Patrick blinked in surprise, and beside him, Hetty Lange made a little sound of agreement.

“The answer is nothing,” Fornell continued. “So why should a single mutant give more than anyone else? What right do you have to assume that they owe us anything?”

“They’re a burden on society,” Keller snapped. “They should all work hard to make up for it, and allowing limited experimentation should be required.”

“The only burden in this room is you,” Tony said. “My tax dollar is going to feed and clothe you for the rest of your damn life while you sit in a six-by-nine cell doing absolutely nothing.”

Patrick watched the three people disappear, and Hetty stood. She left the observation room, and Tony stood from the table as she entered. She took the seat, and he chose a piece of wall to lean on. A pair of MPs brought in a Marine in cuffs. They attached the cuffs to the table, and Hetty opened the file she’d brought with her to the table. A Navy officer in dress blues came in and sat down at the table with Frye. He wondered how many JAG officers were in the mountain.

“Let the record show in attendance is Gunnery Sergeant Gerald Frye,” Hetty said. “Commander JD Victor, Judge Advocate General’s office, SSA Anthony DiNozzo, Office of Special Investigations, SSA Henrietta Lange, Office of Special Operations at NCIS. Sergeant Frye, you are being charged with sedition. There will be other charges attached as the matter is reviewed by JAG. Your homophobic and anti-mutant views could also cause you to be charged with several hate crimes in relation to your actions regarding the images of Colonel Sheppard being distributed out of the mountain. They were leaked to the press yesterday. When were you recruited by the Trust?”

Frye’s jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists. “I was contacted after the expedition left Earth and asked to keep an eye out for interesting information to pass along.”

“Why?” Hetty questioned.

“I was on the list to go to Pegasus when Marshall Sumner was in charge of the military for the expedition. When Colonel Sheppard replaced him, I was one of ten that Sheppard personally removed from the list without discussion. I tried to appeal the decision, but he refused to even meet with me. I heard, through a third party, that he said I wasn’t his kind of Marine, and the others that were removed didn’t meet his standard either.”

“Based on your behavior, it’s clear he wasn’t wrong,” Hetty said. “You resented not being on the expedition to Pegasus?”

“I earned it,” Frye said. “I’ve been part of the program since it was formed under Hammond. Sheppard removed me for no reason.”

“Actually, he removed you and nine others based merely on your lackluster performance reviews,” Hetty said evenly. “Shortly before the final list for Atlantis was generated, you took a field assessment which you barely passed. Colonel Sheppard expects the best from the men and women who serve under him, and you didn’t qualify. Only your long service at the SGC prevented you from being transferred and eventually discharged. You were given an opportunity to improve, you didn’t. You were given an opportunity to serve with honor, you didn’t.”

“You were given the opportunity to commit sedition, and you jumped on it with no hesitation,” Tony said quietly. “And you did it for free. If you’d at least tried to be a good man and said no the first time, they’d have offered to pay you. Frank Simmons, the Air Force officer you sent the images to, received 200k for them. Those images reveal the location of Atlantis in Pegasus, Sergeant Frye. You aided and abetted the enemy both on and off the planet. In a different time, you’d be facing a firing squad.”

“If Sheppard wasn’t a freak this wouldn’t have happened at all. Plus, he’s fucking a civilian instead of doing his job out there.” Frye glared at Tony. “He’s not getting the job done and should be removed from command.”

“Hey, Hetty, ever met a wraith up close and personal?”

“No,” Hetty said. “Can’t say that I have.” She spread her hands out on the table. “Which means that John Sheppard is most certainly getting the job done in Pegasus. His personal life is certainly no one’s business but his own.”

“He only has his command because of his father,” Frye said snidely. “Freaks don’t belong in the uniform.”

Hetty hummed under her breath and turned over a page in front of her. “Your older brother is a mutant. Favored by both of your parents. They paid for him to go college and suggested you join the military since you weren’t smart enough for a degree.” She turned another page. “He’s married with two children, has a successful law practice, and most recently purchased your parents a home in Santa Barbara so they could retire. When the agent I sent to interview your brother and parents asked about you—none of them could remember the last time you’d responded to a phone call or email. You have two nephews that you’ve never met. They’re mutants, too, by the way. Your discrimination robbed you of a lovely family, Mr. Frye, and now it has cost your career in the Marine Corps. It will also be the root cause of your life-long stay in Leavenworth. Do be careful when you speak once you’re there; ex-marines don’t do well.”

“There’s no such thing as an ex-Marine,” Frye hissed.

“I thought so, too, until I met you,” Hetty said and inclined her head toward the MPs on the door. “Transfer him to NCIS in DC. They’re waiting to process the charges. There’s a bunk in a brig waiting on him.”

“You don’t have any questions for my client, Agent Lange?” The JAG lawyer questioned.

“No, Commander Victor, I do not. I have all the evidence I need to charge and convict him. We know, for a fact, he only had one contact with the Trust, and that man is in custody. We have all the other players involved in the image relay in custody. Mr. Frye has nothing to offer me or the investigation. This meeting was merely another missed opportunity for him. A little contrition would’ve done him some good.” Hetty closed the file and sat back in her chair.

Patrick watched the prisoner removed from the room, leaving Hetty and Tony alone.

“I had Lt. Clay Humphrey transferred to Andrews in Maryland first thing this morning. He presented a detailed and signed confession and has requested a plea deal,” Tony said as he leaned on the table. “He’s now at the mercy of the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. He was warned in advance that a confession would not offer him a single concession when it comes to sentencing. Frankly, I think he got himself out of the way because he was afraid he’d be killed. Frank Simmons is in a prison cell under the auspice of Homeland Security currently as he’s still leaking intel like a sieve for them. He thinks it’s going to get him a lighter sentence.”

“But it won’t.”

“No, of course not. He’ll never see the light of day again,” Tony said. “We have two civilians left, and they’re both contracted with the SGC. Dr. Henry Dawson worked on Atlantis briefly and successfully accessed Colonel Sheppard’s medical records. He made a copy, but that was discovered before it could be sent anywhere. Dr. Nigel Bradley is a scientist in the mountain who cultivated Dr. Keller for the Trust.”

Hetty frowned. “Why do you think they played relay with the images? Fewer hands would’ve kept the secret closer.”

“Humphrey agreed to act as a digital mule for Keller and Bradley for a price. Bradley paid him weekly to forward anything interesting he saw in the data burst and specifically Keller’s communications. He sold the images to Frye because he knew the man had a grudge and would certainly pay for them. He got 1500 dollars for them from Frye. He really didn’t care what Frye or Bradley intended to do with the images. He was just an information broker of a sort. He said it wasn’t personal to him at all because he didn’t care one way or another about Colonel Sheppard’s mutation.”

Somehow, that didn’t make Patrick feel better at all.

* * * *

Patrick hadn’t worn a gun in over a year, but he’d accepted the leg holster when Tony had brought it to him and had checked the 9mm he was given, then stored three magazines in a pocket of his BDUs. Hetty Lange was waiting at the doors with Dr. Allison Porter, who had apparently demanded transport to Colorado Springs as soon as the potential for a job in the mountain came up. He was relieved that Teldy and her wife were willing to make the move. As much as he pretended it was a problem to have his life run by a special operations Marine, Anne Teldy was the best XO he’d ever had despite the fact that her official role was aide-de-camp. He thought, when he came back from Atlantis that he’d change that.

“I didn’t even know they made combat boots that size,” Tony said in delight.

Patrick looked down at Hetty’s feet before he could help himself as Hetty sent Tony a hard look.

“I had them made several years ago,” Hetty said and rolled her eyes when Tony laughed. “Agent Hanna finds them amusing as well.”

Patrick focused on Allison Porter. “Are you going to Atlantis?”

“No, sir, I was just chatting with Agent Lange. I’m waiting to have a conversation with Colonel Carter regarding placement in the mountain. She said I could have my pick of ten open positions that suit my educational background. Plus, I need to stake a claim on lab space. It’s gonna be a battle.”

“Take no prisoners,” Hetty said. “Thank you for keeping me company, Dr. Porter.”

Allison grinned and rocked back on her feet briefly before giving Patrick and Tony a nod as she left. Officially, Agent Lange wasn’t allowed to meander around the mountain without an escort. Patrick wondered how Dr. Porter had gotten roped into the duty and figured her wife had distributed the duty just to get things done faster.

Teldy joined them at that point with O’Neill in tow. She had a p-90 clipped onto her vest.

Patrick raised an eyebrow. “A bit much, Major?”

“No, sir,” Anne said. “Atlantis is, per Marine Corps regulations, a forward operating base in a war zone and should be treated as such.”

Jack laughed and pushed open the door. “Let’s go, everyone. Those traveling through the gate the first time sometimes get a chill on the other side, but you’ll warm up quickly enough. If you experience any disorientation or a headache once we’re on the city, please let someone know. Atlantis is a synergy of machine and organic metal and has a psy-presence of her own that might be off-putting if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing.” He focused on Patrick and Tony. “That is most especially true for natural gene carriers. We won’t be going into unexplored portions of the city, but do not touch anything. If you feel compelled to touch a panel or even a wall, tell me immediately.”

Patrick nodded but then focused on the gate, which had started to move. He found he wasn’t all that excited by the sight of it. The gate represented a problem for Patrick, and it was also the device that John had used to leave Earth. He didn’t actually resent the technology, but the good potential was often lost in the danger it had brought into his life. The wormhole established with a splash, and he took a deep breath when Tony shifted closer to him.

“I’m fine.”

Tony just inclined his head. “They don’t know we’re coming.”

“Any reason for the surprise?” Patrick questioned.

“I suspect there is another operator on the city,” Tony said. “They haven’t had any luck finding them, but our sudden appearance will hype up emotions, and I might catch the person unaware.”

Patrick was a hundred percent not on board that plan as it sounded dangerous as fuck. It must have shown on his face because Tony made a face at him.

“I can take care of myself, sir.”

“Wow,” Jack muttered as he accepted a p-90 from a guard in the gate room and clipped it to his vest. “I’ve never heard sir sound more like asshole in my life.”

Patrick laughed and shook his head as Jack motioned Teldy through the gate first. Clearly, she appreciated being put on point because she offered Jack a bright smile and trotted through. Jack stepped through, and Patrick walked up the ramp with Tony at his side. Landing at Midway Station sort of took some of the magic off of going through the gate for the first time since most talked about stepping foot on a new world for the first time and how it felt. Space stations weren’t all that exciting anymore.

“I wasn’t calling you an asshole,” Tony muttered as they stood off to the side while Jack spoke with the gate tech. “It’s just…I guess I’m a little sensitive to my abilities being questioned by the military.”

“Gibbs?” Patrick questioned, and Tony seemed to consider that, then shook his head.

“He trusted me to do my job in the field and understood how to use my skill set. He played games in the office, no matter how much he pretended otherwise. In that way, I blame him for my partner’s death. I don’t think Kate would’ve been a target for Ziva and Ari David if Gibbs didn’t do that whole personal empire-building. His psychological issues are overt, and it made it easy for them to pick a weakness to exploit on the team. Killing a woman in Gibbs’ life is the best way to get his attention and motivate him in the direction of your choosing.”

“What’s my weakness?”

“You already know,” Tony said.

“Lay it out for me—how would you come at me if you wanted to neutralize me? It would be helpful, honestly, considering what my mandate is and how many enemies I’ve already earned.”

“Clearly, your weakness is John,” Tony said. “Even when people find out about me—I won’t be considered an option for most because we lack a deep, personal history. They won’t know that you sort of imprinted on me like a deeply invested mama grizzly bear.” He paused when Patrick laughed. “Regardless, the best way to neutralize you would be to redirect all of your attention on John’s physical safety.”

“Sort of like the situation we’re in right now,” Patrick said grimly.

“No, this is a political clusterfuck,” Tony said. “It’s all smoke and mirrors, really. No one really expected to get their hands on John, but they were hoping for the best. It was a huge gamble that could’ve netted them a lot if they won. They didn’t, and it cost many people more than they expected. The leaking of the images made it easier for us, in the end, to go after a bunch of people. The dominos are still falling and will continue to fall as the people we have in custody start giving up compatriots in an effort to save themselves.

“If I wanted to stop you in your tracks, paralyze you…I’d arrange for John to disappear and make it clear that any action on your part would put his life at risk. I’d have to destroy your personal connections and make you doubt every single person in your life. In the end, the goal would be to make you trust no one, and I’d give you a single chance to get him back alive. But it wouldn’t be possible because the only way to truly contain a highly trained asset like John would be to kill him as quickly as possible.” Tony cleared his throat and shrugged. “But when it comes down to it, you’re more of a target than he is, and you’ll be a bigger one as soon as anyone in power realizes that Jack O’Neill is invested in you.”

Patrick nodded. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry—it’s on my agenda,” Tony said and inclined his head as O’Neill left the control room. “Having his back is actually part of my mandate.” He cleared his throat. “Are you going to tell John about me while we’re on the city?”

“Yes, of course. He’ll understand why I didn’t email him with it, but wouldn’t tolerate any sort of excuse of not telling him during an in-person meeting,” Patrick said. “Your brother doesn’t tolerate personal betrayal, Tony, and he considers lies by omission no better than an actual lie.”

“Wow.” Tony took a deep breath. “What a weird thing to hear—I never expected to have a brother at all, you know.”

“Neither does John,” Patrick said. “I don’t expect him to be a jerk about it, but he’s always been comfortable with his status as my only child.” The gate that would take them to Atlantis opened at that point.

Shortly, he stepped on the city of the ancients for the first time, and the city herself brushed against his mind in a way he’d been told repeatedly to expect. A hand cupped his elbow, and he found Jack staring at him with concern.

“I’m fine.”

Jack nodded and released him as Elizabeth Weir approached them. He’d met her during declassification and found her to be far more mercenary than anyone would expect. Patrick didn’t know how he felt about her, but he appreciated that she had John’s back in Pegasus and was just as prone to bombing the shit out of an enemy as anyone in the military he’d ever met. Patrick wondered what she’d been like before she’d come to Pegasus.

“It’s a pleasure to have you here, Admiral,” Elizabeth said as she held out her hand. “John’s off-duty. There was a bit of an ugly situation off-world yesterday, so we’re in recovery.”

“What kind of ugly?” Jack questioned.

“Genii,” Elizabeth said and grimaced. “A rogue faction intended on taking John hostage. Rodney recognized they weren’t alone on the planet before they dialed the gate. The genii have some of our tech from previous encounters, and they, fortunately, haven’t realized that Rodney can sense our technology. They carry a lot of what they stole from us during that single invasion attempt. There was a firefight, and we took two prisoners for interrogation. The investigation led to another world where those dumb bastards were keeping a wraith hostage. We took no prisoners on that planet.” She smiled as Patrick released her hand. “At any rate, Rodney and John are out on the pier we use for social activities.”

“This is SSA Tony DiNozzo with OSI and SAC Hetty Lange with NCIS,” Patrick said. “We’re here to do some wrap-up conversations regarding the situation with Keller, who’s been charged with sedition. Several others were arrested and charged in the mountain and we managed hit the Trust in the process. We expect to dismantle the entire organization inside the next four months.” He cleared his throat. “The images leaked and it was determined that several of them contained enough astronomical data to reveal the location of Atlantis to anyone who had extensive knowledge of Pegasus.”

“Jesus Christ,” Elizabeth muttered. “I should’ve just tossed her little ass through a space gate.” Hetty snorted and Tony winced. “Forget I said that.”

“Well, criminal thoughts are normally no sort of crime at all,” Tony said cheerfully and Elizabeth smiled in his direction. It was a little predatory and Patrick barely refrained from stepping between them.

Elizabeth quirked an eyebrow at him and inclined her head. “Come, please. I’ll take you to John.”

“You can’t radio him?” Hetty questioned as she looked around the gate room. “Not that I mind a stroll. It’s so lovely here.”

“You can have a complete tour, Agent Lange. Colonel Sheppard is wearing a radio, he never takes it off unless he’s sleeping or showering. That’s a security policy. That being said, it seems like Admiral Sheppard wanted to be something of a surprise for his son.”

“Yes, I would like that,” Patrick admitted. “He’s very intuitive so I’ve rarely surprised him in his life.”

“I understand that completely,” Elizabeth said. “John’s instincts are so on point that I believed that was the main part of his mutation until he came out of the wings closet.”

She guided them into a transporter room that he’d seen images of. The SGC used asgard beaming technology exclusively on Earth so he hadn’t seen the ancient version in action before. It was the same weird, slightly disorienting experience.

Evan Lorne was waiting outside of the transporter when they exited, clearly a little winded. He shot Elizabeth Weir a wide-eyed look and cleared his throat. “General O’Neill. Welcome to Atlantis, sir, we weren’t informed you’d be visiting.”

“We’re a surprise, Major,” Jack said easily. “Heard you had a dust up with the genii yesterday.”

Lorne raised an eyebrow. “A bit of a minor annoyance, sir. The most interesting part was the wraith prisoner. They’re currently dissecting his body in life sciences. It’s a straight-up nightmare, honestly. I wanted to send the body to the genii homeworld with the rest. Apparently making a pile of genii bodies with a wraith topper in front of their gate was considered to be rude.”

“Sometimes making a rude, but pointed gesture saves lives,” Hetty said mildly and smiled when Elizabeth glanced at her wide-eyed.

“Have you met Admiral Sheppard, Major?” Jack asked mildly.

“No, sir, but it’s an honor, Admiral.” Lorne said and brushed at his T-shirt. “It’s…we’re at rest.” Teldy cleared her throat and Lorne sent her a dirty look. “We’ve worked for forty-six days straight.”

“That’s a long haul,” Patrick said. “Dr. Weir was taking us out to the pier. Please feel free to go back to whatever you were doing, Major.”

“We’re just on the pier—practically the whole city is out there,” Lorne admitted. “I can take them, Elizabeth. You were pretty determined to finish your book today, right?”

“I am. Thank you, Evan.” Weir gave them all a nod and stepped back into the transporter.

“Lorne, this is SSA Tony DiNozzo from OSI and SAC Hetty Lange from NCIS,” Jack said as they started to walk. “They’ve been handling the investigation on Earth along with an FBI agent that declined to step through the gate with the kind of technophobia that left Sam Carter breathless with shock. I’m surprised he allowed himself to be beamed.”

“Fornell hates to fly,” Tony said. “He only accepts technology that negates things he loathes.”

Lorne led them down a series of halls and through a pair of large doors, and out onto one of the piers. “We use this one for recreation since there is an area between the two arms that is closed off underneath. It creates a pool of sorts that we can keep predators out of.” He motioned to the area that had several people in it. “Great for exercise and physical therapy as needed. That was much more important during the first year when they couldn’t cycle the injured back to Earth for rehab.”

“Barbeque day?” Teldy questioned. “I love this day.”

“Yeah, Ronon took down an elk off-world and brought it home,” Lorne said. “We’ll start serving in about an hour—just burgers and steaks. Sausage and various other things will come later in the week.”

Patrick’s gaze drifted over the area, wondering what John would consider a leisure activity on such a day. Tony cleared his throat and gently hitched his chin up. Patrick followed the gesture and caught sight of John high in the sky. He blinked in surprise.

“I can radio him, sir,” Lorne offered.

“No.” Patrick took a deep breath as he watched his son fly. “I’ve never seen him like this. I couldn’t have allowed him to have this much freedom to fly…to be seen.”

“You were right, Tony,” Hetty Lange said quietly as her gaze followed John as he spun in the air and seemed to hover for a moment before he took a deep dive. “He’s beautiful.”

“His visual acuity is extreme, so he’s probably seen you,” Lorne said just short of John leveling out and flying the length of the pier.

Patrick took a deep breath as his son landed, wings stirring the air around them. Due to the fact that they were both active duty, he hadn’t seen John’s wings out in such a way in years. The air stirred around them as he settled completely on his bare feet, then they folded down and were gone. He stood before them barefoot and dressed only in a pair of ragged old jeans. Jack sucked air through his teeth at the sight.

John stared for a moment, then smiled. “Dad.”

“Hey, kid,” Patrick said as John came in for a quick hug.

“Sorry, I’m a sweaty mess,” John said as he stepped back. “Flying this time of the day is a bigger workout due to the heat.” He glanced at O’Neill then at the two agents before focusing on Teldy. “How’s it going, Anne?”

“I’m five by five, sir,” Teldy said.

“Good,” John said and rubbed the back of his neck. “How bad is it on Earth that you brought my dad and two feds to Atlantis, General O’Neill?”

“Fair-to-middling, John,” Jack said. “How’d you know they were feds?”

“They look like cops, and regular cops wouldn’t get to come out here, so that equals—feds,” John said and made a face. “NCIS?”

“That’s me,” Hetty said and offered him her hand. “Hetty Lange, Colonel Sheppard. It’s an honor to meet you.”

John took her hand carefully, studying her as he did so. “Your reputation proceeds you, Agent Lange. I’ve been hearing stories about you for years.”

“All good things, I’m sure,” Hetty declared with flushed cheeks.

“Badass things,” John said with a laugh and focused on Tony. “FBI?”

“OSI, Tony DiNozzo.”

John nodded. “The agent in the mountain.” He offered Tony his hand. “Anne tells me you’re highly tolerable, Agent DiNozzo, which is a glowing recommendation from her.” Tony laughed. “Well, welcome to Atlantis, everyone.” He turned to Lorne. “Please go find McKay, Major. He said something about hiding in a lab and working on math until he feels better about our species. I don’t even think barbeque is going to shake him loose from his current funk. His radio is off, and I’d rather not use the all-call system to get his attention.”

“Of course, sir,” Lorne said. “I know where he is.”

Patrick watched his son shift on his feet, clearly uncomfortable to have been caught off-duty and out of uniform. “I’m sure Anne can get us settled in guest quarters while you wrangle McKay and take a shower.”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” John admitted. “Take them away, Anne. I’m standing here half-naked. I didn’t even bring shoes out here.”

“Well, it’s not a bad look, sir,” Teldy said with a grin, and John groaned.

 

 

 

Chapter 9

John left his bathroom, rubbing his face with a towel. He rarely shaved in the middle of the day, but he felt off-kilter and weird. Two people he’d never met before in his life had seen his wings in person, and that felt stupidly personal. He knew he had to get over it because of the pictures that Keller had taken. Plenty of people had seen his wings and seen him in flight because of her. There hadn’t been any reports regarding the investigation sent to Atlantis, so he had no idea what her motives were beyond plain old jealousy.

John hadn’t been all that discreet about this relationship with Rodney once they’d agreed to be together. Maybe that hadn’t been a wise choice, but he’d spent a lot of years hiding his wings, so hiding his personal relationships had never been an option for him. He had to admit that sacrificing the privacy around his mutation hadn’t been as traumatic as it might have been, and that was because he was on Atlantis. Living and working in Pegasus wasn’t a walk in the park, but it had given him a freedom he could’ve never had on Earth. He couldn’t imagine flying freely on Earth in any situation.

Flying when he was younger had always been dangerous and carefully managed. His father had often taken him to isolated and very remote areas so he could fly. They owned a large amount of land in Alaska for that very purpose. As he’d gotten older, it had become more difficult and more dangerous. By the time he was an adult, he had a wingspan of twenty-two feet, nearly twice that of the largest bird on the planet, which meant he could be more easily spotted and discerned to be a human in the sky even from a distance.

His door opened as he was threading his belt, and he found Rodney frowning at him. “Sorry, I know you needed some space to get your head around yesterday.”

McKay had killed two people, and he didn’t do well in such circumstances. The scientist had a large body count for a civilian, even in the SGC, because Rodney never backed down in the field and never let the rest of them do the heavy lifting on that front. John kind of wished he would sometimes since taking the life of an enemy still hurt McKay. John hadn’t let a combat kill get in his way emotionally in years. He did what was necessary to survive and protect Earth.

“I’m fine,” McKay said shortly. “I’m kind of pissed that O’Neill brought people here without any sort of notification. I don’t like being caught out.”

“I imagine they did it to throw someone specifically off their stride,” John pointed out as he put on his watch and tucked his radio into his ear. “We both know that Keller and Dawson weren’t the only problems on the city. That digital ghost you and Miko are chasing is doing a better-than-average job of hiding from you. Which is concerning as fuck.” He waved a hand. “Considering.”

“Yeah,” Rodney said with a frown. “I don’t like that they brought your father along—it makes him a target, John.”

“I really hope not a single person on this city would be stupid enough to make themselves a threat to my father,” John muttered. “It would take days to clean up the mess I’d leave behind.” He opened a drawer, pulled out a sheathed Ka-Bar, and tucked the knife into his boot. “Lorne let me know that he’s assigned everyone guest quarters—O’Neill is back on the pier with the NCIS agent. They sent out Hetty Lange.”

Rodney raised an eyebrow. “That’s a power move, right?”

“A big one,” John said. “But not as big as the one that is SSA Tony DiNozzo, Air Force Office of Special Investigations.”

“Why is he the bigger move?”

“Rumor has it that he’s Randolph Rampart’s boyfriend,” John said huffily. “And I’m honestly stupidly irritated to be responsible for his safety in a war zone. I don’t know much about him—he used to be a cop, entered federal service at NCIS, and was eventually transferred into OSI as a civilian investigator. He was put in the mountain to handle internal security a few months ago and is still doing clean up.”

“Miko said that the OSI agent in the mountain was competent and very kind to her,” McKay said. “I forget the name she gave.”

“Well, currently, the mountain has one OSI agent, and that’s DiNozzo,” John said. “I’m sure he’s great at his job, McKay. Teldy would’ve already done what was required to get rid of him if she had a problem with his access to the program and O’Neill.”

“Are you overestimating Teldy’s reach?” McKay questioned.

“Nope,” John said with a laugh. “Anne’s very good at getting exactly what she wants done when she wants it—no matter who is involved.” He checked his reflection and picked up a bottle of location. His face was chaffed from flying. He rubbed the lotion in as McKay leaned on the dresser and stared. “Anything I can do to help you out?”

“Not in the time we have,” Rodney muttered. “I regret choosing a math retreat over getting my brains fucked out.”

John laughed and caught Rodney’s arm as he passed him, then pulled him close. He kissed his mouth gently, and Rodney’s hands clamped onto his hips. John found himself backed up against the dresser while McKay sought a far more aggressive kiss. He ran a gentle hand through Rodney’s hair as he noted that his lover was trembling.

“Hey,” John murmured against McKay’s cheek and took a deep breath. “Why don’t you go back to your lab and work on your math?”

“I should attend whatever meeting that’s going to take place,” Rodney muttered. “It’ll look suspicious if I avoid the investigators, right?”

“You can meet them in the morning,” John said. “Take the rest of your day. You clearly need it. I’ll bring food to you for dinner.”

“You should eat dinner with your dad,” Rodney suggested. “You’ve not seen him in months.”

John hesitated because he thought that McKay needed his attention more than his father did. Though there was something clearly bothering his dad, and he wasn’t sure it was all to do with the data breach. He’d been a little off.

“Okay, but you’ll sleep here tonight and not pass out in your lab, right?” John questioned and rubbed Rodney’s upper arms gently.

“Yeah,” Rodney agreed and took a deep breath. “I wanted…from the very start, I wanted the genii to be better than they are. They don’t learn from their mistakes, John, and they were so fucking greedy that they were willing to torture you with a wraith to get something that will never work for them. The city killed more than one of them when they tried to invade us. How do we convince them that Atlantis doesn’t and can’t belong to them.”

“I don’t think we can convince anyone in this galaxy that precious few of them actually have alteran ancestors,” John admitted. “Even the ones that have recognized they can’t use ancient technology still consider Atlantis to be some sort of mecca they have the right to. Even being told that the ancients made the wraith doesn’t seem to deflect the worship. I wish we could make them all believe it, but hell, there are people on Earth who think the fucking planet is flat. If we can’t fix those dumb bastards….”

Rodney huffed. “I wish flat-Earthers were the worst of it when it comes to stupid shit on Earth. I’ll go back to the lab, but I’ll keep my radio on if you need me.” He made a face. “Sorry to be this way.”

“You’re not a soldier, and I don’t expect you to act like one,” John said. “You had my back yesterday. Ronon and Teyla knew they could depend on you to do exactly what you did. Your ability to do what needs to be done no matter the personal consequences is a relief, Rodney, and it has been since the very first time I took you into the field.”

Rodney put a hand on John’s chest. “What they intended…what the ones we captured confessed to save their own skin…it makes me want to bomb the genii homeworld back to the fucking dark ages, John. If Kolya wasn’t already dead, I don’t think I’d be reasonable about not retaliating to the nth degree. He was such an unreasonable and sadistic bastard.”

“Yeah,” John said and took a deep breath. “I’ll run interference with everyone. Just promise me you won’t stay in your lab all night.”

“Meet you here at 2100 hours?” Rodney questioned.

John nodded, kissed him one more time, and let go despite the desire to keep him close and bunker down. They parted ways at the transporter; John chose to use the stairs after a quick check with security. His father was in the guest quarters he’d been assigned, which was in a residential tower that they only gave power when it was in use.

He used the chime to announce his arrival and did a little mental prodding to keep the door shut. The city was always eager to give him whatever he wanted, so he had to work a little harder at managing the privacy of others as a result. Agent DiNozzo opened the door. John hesitated, momentarily confused, before concern set in as the man stepped back and motioned him in.

His dad was seated on the bed with an open bag and a tablet. John cleared his throat, and Patrick looked up.

“We don’t normally give visitors intranet access unless they’re going to be here for a while for a specific project. But I can put in a request to IT for you, Dad.” John shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced between them. “Dad, please, tell me you’re not having some sort of affair with Randolph Rampart’s…rumored significant other.”

DiNozzo laughed even as his dad took on a look of deep offense.

“I’m doing my best to seduce Jack O’Neill,” Patrick said, and John really didn’t know if that was the better option or not. “When Tony joined OSI, they did a genetic workup and found out he had the ATA gene.”

John nodded. “He’s on the list for emergencies.” He glanced toward DiNozzo and found the man leaning on the desk that was tucked against the wall.

“Specifically, John, he has the exact same ATA gene you have.”

“Did mom have another kid she didn’t bother to tell me about?” John asked roughly. “Because, frankly, I don’t like the two siblings I’ve got. They’re both spoiled rotten and feel entitled to my time when I’m on Earth. I’d like to pretend they don’t exist, but Rodney says that’s rude since it’s not their fault mom’s a hellbeast.”

“Not your mother, no,” Patrick said.

John blinked. “Oh.” He slouched down on the sofa with a huff. “After all the lectures you gave me about condom usage when I was a teenager.” He shook his head even as DiNozzo laughed. “How long have you known?”

“A few months,” Tony said when Patrick hesitated. “We didn’t think it would be the kind of thing you’d want put in an email.”

“No, certainly not.” John frowned at the toe of his combat boot. “Rampart’s too old for you.”

DiNozzo sighed. “It’s gonna be years before you have that kind of privilege, Colonel.”

John squinted. “Nah, as the oldest, I was awarded those privileges at your birth. It’s like part of the package. Done deal. I boss the twins around, too, not that they actually seem to be bothered by it. They were raised by a nanny and have zero parental input in their lives and never really did. Mom is really fond of marrying money and only had kids because her new husband wanted an heir.” He rubbed his hands on his BDUs. “I don’t know what to do with this.”

“That’s fine,” DiNozzo said quickly. “It’s a lot, and I get it. I think I’ll go find O’Neill and Hetty—they were apparently out in search of elk burgers.”

“It’s good—more like beef than venison,” John said and took a deep breath as DiNozzo nodded and, with a quick look in Patrick’s direction, left. “Geez, Dad.”

“Well, I was going to tell you in private, but you jumped to a rude and insulting conclusion. While I can’t say I’ve never slept with someone who was in a relationship, I certainly didn’t do it on purpose.” Patrick frowned and focused on the tablet in his hand.

“He was in your quarters, and there’s clearly something…going on,” John said roughly. “Sorry, I thought you were being a dick, but honestly, having my dad steal the Commandant of the Marine Corps boyfriend wouldn’t do my career any favors.”

Patrick laughed and set the tablet down. “It wouldn’t have done my career any good, either, for the record. The images leaked and are all over the media. Frank Simmons did it. It caused a big mess since analysis revealed that the images could be used to find Atlantis due to the vast amount of astrological data that has been revealed during declassification. Everyone involved, including Keller, was charged with sedition. Simmons’ involvement led the investigation straight into the heart of the Trust. Six people have been arrested on that front, and more will come as Homeland dismantles by the Trust and the NID.”

“The NID?”

“The director of the NID tried to back Simmons’ play—they wanted you returned to Earth. We both know how that could’ve gone. There’s going to be an operation featuring faked blood and tissue samples as part of an endeavor to bring out anyone that was missed. You won’t be asked to give real samples. POTUS came down pretty hard on that subject when the current SECNAV suggested you be returned to Earth and used as bait.”

“I heard she’s a real piece of work,” John said roughly. “I have some SEALs on the city that served under her for a few operations before she left the Navy in favor of politics. They don’t have anything kind to say about Hargrove. Chief Frost said she’s so detached that the goal is everything. It led to situations in the field where she knowingly sacrificed valuable assets because it was expedient but not entirely necessary.”

“She’s not going to keep the job,” Patrick said. “I think she is qualified to do it, but she pissed Hayes off and didn’t seem to care about stepping on his toes regarding the mutant issue. Everyone knows he has mutant grandchildren, but it was clear she didn’t care at all about that, and it’s going to come back to bite her. Henry Hayes holds a grudge like he got a Ph.D. in the ability.” He cleared his throat. “You’ve gained some muscle mass since I saw you last—flying regularly has changed your chest a bit.”

“Yeah, and my visual acuity has increased two-fold,” John admitted. “The more I do it, the easier it is to notice and use wind currents to stay in the air. My wings don’t seem to be…so resistant to being merged with my skin anymore. They never go back in the same anymore, though.”

“What does that mean?” Patrick questioned.

“Before, it seemed like the skin markings were the same every single time. Now, the black markings cover my back and trail downwards to mid-thigh. Sometimes, in the past, the skin would be sensitive after I put my wings away. Now, not so much. It all feels very natural now, in a way it never has before. That might be all psychological because I feel safe on Atlantis.” He paused. “The data leak hasn’t changed that, but I don’t think I can go back to Earth anytime soon.”

“I know,” Patrick said. “I’m moving Homeworld to Cheyenne Mountain so I can be as close as possible to the gate.”

John relaxed a little at that knowledge. “Good, that’s…good. I know the situation on Earth isn’t as stable as anyone would like. The IOA’s updated evacuation plan was kind of galling and heavily focused on saving their own asses and not providing a for the continuation of our species. Most of those assholes wouldn’t have a single thing to do on this city if we had to give up Earth. It’s harsh to say, but everyone on Atlantis needs to serve a purpose, Dad. We’re built on contributions and teamwork out here.”

“You can expect that to change if the IOA approves families coming to stay.”

John made a face. “I realize there are children in Pegasus, but I wouldn’t want to be responsible for a single child on this city, Dad. We’ve had wraith land on the planet more than once, and even moving it won’t solve that problem entirely, as they know that our gate is an easy road to the Milky Way and a new feeding ground. I know it’s coming, and I can’t stop that. The IOA and various others in power on Earth want to present an image of eventual safety for our people out here. I think that’s…stupid.”

“I don’t disagree,” Patrick admitted. “I guess the charitable point of view would be hopeful.”

“Tell me about him.”

“Tony?” Patrick questioned.

“Yeah, Tony.” John took a deep breath. “Tell me how he happened, please, and how you didn’t know about him until now.”

Patrick grimaced. “Can we get food delivered? I deserve an elk burger for this.”

John laughed. “Yeah, we can get food delivered.”

“Did you want to invite Rodney?” Patrick questioned. “Or is he avoiding me? Have I said or done something to offend him because he seems to…go out of his way to not be in the same room with me.”

John stared in surprise. “I don’t think so…. He had to…. Rodney killed at least two people yesterday due to an ambush by the genii. While he doesn’t linger over killing a wraith, killing another human being messes with him. The genii are wretched assholes, and their plan for me was nothing short of a nightmare, but still. The thing is that Rodney is one of many civilians in the program that wasn’t trained for war, but it happened to them anyway. He’s great in the field and doesn’t hesitate to do what he must to protect himself and the team. But he hates the waste of life and potential.”

“And the other times he avoided me?” Patrick questioned.

“I think that might be your overt paternal vibe, actually,” John admitted. “He told me more than once that he doesn’t want to intrude on my time with you. Both of his parents were assholes and willing gave him up to the Canadian government when his mutation became overtly noticeable. Fortunately for McKay, that just equaled a boarding school and a government guardianship that protected his rights. Eventually, that included his intellectual property rights as his father tried to lay claim to his work when he was still a minor and in college.”

Patrick nodded. “Okay, but let him know he doesn’t have to make himself scarce. It seems like he’s a permanent part of your life, and I want to get to know him.”

“I love him,” John blurted out. “I’m going to ask him to marry me.” He felt his cheeks flush when his dad raised an eyebrow.

“Then he definitely must stop avoiding me,” Patrick said firmly. “And when you do feel comfortable coming back to Earth for leave, you’ll bring him with you.”

* * * *

John sat down beside Tony DiNozzo, who was at the end of a pier, and held out the second beer he’d brought with him. Tony took the bottle and cleared his throat.

“It’s beautiful here.”

“Yeah, you’d never know this planet is the Australia of space,” John said wryly. “The weather alone reaches extinction level several times a decade. I think the alterans picked it for that very reason. They didn’t need to live on land, and the shield would protect them. Unfortunately, power issues can make things difficult for us.”

“It’s going to be recommended to the IOA that the city be moved,” Tony said. “I suspect that’s going to be stressful as hell for everyone here.”

“We can probably move it on the planet. There are several geothermal platforms on the planet that the city has mated with at various points in the past, which means it can be moved over water. I doubt the ancients would’ve launched it entirely off the planet only to set it back down a few hundred miles away. There’s a whole hydro-powered system underneath the city.” John cleared his throat. “The replicators fixed the stardrive during their first invasion, but I’m sure you’ve read a report on that whole ridiculous situation. Regardless, the stardrive works, but we’d need at least one full ZPM to move the city.”

“You’re not opposed to a move?”

“It would be the best security option both here and on Earth. Far too many assholes know exactly where we are out here. The wraith makes it a policy to destroy space travel potential for most of the planets out there, but if the genii could get their hands on a spaceship, they’d certainly come here and try to invade from space. They are obsessed with the city and believe it their birthright.”

“Despite the fact that the ATA gene rarely exists in Pegasus.”

“Yeah, I think mostly those are descendants of stranded ancients—maybe they stayed behind because they wanted to or were just merely forgotten during the exodus.” John shrugged. “Or they’d been exiled. Apparently, the ancients punished crime by permanent exile from their society. I guess they still do that—desacension being a thing.”

“Yeah,” Tony said.

“Does your legal father know about Dad?”

“Not from me,” Tony said. “I think he’d try to blackmail Patrick if he knew such a thing. Senior is a real bastard. I did some research. As far as I can tell, I was my mother’s only pregnancy. No partner he’s had since her has produced a child with him, including the woman he was briefly married to a decade ago. I think he’s sterile, but I haven’t asked. It feels like I’d be opening a Pandora’s box of sorts. Eventually, it’s going to come out that I’m Patrick Sheppard’s biological child. Probably, honestly, because you aren’t the first to think some sort of affair was going on between us. Which, you must know, is ugh.”

John laughed. “Yeah, I get it. Sorry. It’s just…that’s how it looked, and I know him. You’re very attractive, and he’s never denied himself a damn thing on that front.”

“Ah, well, the family genes were kind to us both,” Tony said easily. “As to Patrick, I think…well.”

“What?” John questioned.

“There’s a certain energy between him and O’Neill that I noticed the first time I saw them together. I think they’ve both been sort of edging toward a serious, life-changing kind of love.”

“Wow.” John exhaled slowly. “I don’t know what to do with that.”

“Yeah, having your CO as your stepdad seems like a lot,” Tony said wryly. “Fortunately, neither of them are technically my boss. I have a whole hierarchy at OSI that stands between me and Homeworld.” Tony glanced over his shoulder. “We got a problem, you know.”

“I know someone followed me out here,” John murmured. “What’s your mutation?”

“All mental—empathy, intuition, and advanced memory.” Tony set aside his beer and leaned on his hands. “But, I can feel them moving around…and the city keeps telling me when people get close to me. Does she do that for you?”

“Yeah, Atlantis always has my back,” John said. “We killed several dozen genii together when they invaded the city during our first year out here.” He set aside his own beer. “We have a group of engineers and construction workers from the Army Corps of Engineers. Five more arrived about four months ago—blended in and seemed to make themselves at home.”

“The city told you who’s spying on us?”

“Captain Joel Harvey,” John murmured. “And not exactly. The city doesn’t assign names to life signs, but they are numbered based on the order of arrival on the city. For instance, your number is 2349 because you’re the 2349^th human to come here from Earth. It will always be your number, no matter how many times you come and go from the city. She even numbered the genii invaders. I know that the person labeled 2343 followed me out of the residential tower and all the way here. Because I keep track of names and numbers, with my better-than-average memory, it’s pretty easy.” John nudged Tony when the younger man laughed a little. “I know the person to be Joel Harvey, Army Corps of Engineers.”

Tony nodded. “Joel Harvey enlisted in the US Army twenty years ago. He went to OTS at the end of his first tour and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He has two adult children and, three minor children, three ex-wives, and all estranged from him for no listed reason. Masters in structural engineering. The last ex-wife is taking about half his income in child support.”

“His combat skills are below par these days by my standard, and he didn’t qualify to go through the gate as part of a research team. He was pissed but didn’t get in my face,” John murmured. “How does he feel?”

“Desperate, irritated,” Tony admitted. “Our arrival disrupted his plans, perhaps. He’s not here for you.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes, even without knowing your opinion on his field skills, I already know he’s spent his entire career in technical jobs in the Army then in the Army Corps. They aren’t going to send someone like him to try to take you out.”

John considered that and nodded. “Then he was hoping I’d lead him to Rodney.” He activated his radio and changed to the private team channel. “Teyla, I need you to lure Rodney out of his math place and into the arcanum. Ronon, I’m on pier four with Agent DiNozzo. Our little digital ghost has surfaced and is surveilling me.” He turned off his radio as soon as he was acknowledged by them both.

“Arcanum?” Tony questioned. “That’s Latin, right?”

“The athosians speak a bastardized form of alteran, which is also the real mother tongue for all the romance languages on Earth,” John said. “So Latin is a simplified version of the alteran language. Arcana in Pegasus are secret places to hide from the wraith. In Latin, the word means secret and normally refers to knowledge of some kind. Originally, I think it was basically meant to be a secret place based on how it’s used here in Pegasus. Anyways, it’s our team bolt-hole on the city and where we agree to meet in the event of a foothold situation or to have private conversations. It’s genetically locked to the four of us.” He turned to Tony. “Wanna play a game?”

Tony grinned. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

John stood, and Tony joined him. “I’m going to leave, give Harvey time to follow me, and you can follow him. At some point, Ronon is going to join you in that, but you aren’t going to see him unless he sees a reason for it. I want to see what Harvey does.”

“Are you armed?” Tony questioned.

“Just a knife, but I won’t even need that to contain this asshole. He may or may not have tanked his performance review, but he can’t fake his lack of combat fitness. I’d have sent him back to Earth if he’d been sent out here for field use.” John stretched then retrieved their bottles. “Also, I’m gonna have to tell Rodney about the whole affair baby thing—otherwise, he’s definitely gonna assume something tawdry about you and Dad. He’s more observant about people and their relationships than anyone else could possibly think.”

“Yeah, please tell him. Bastard child is much preferred over sugar baby.”

John laughed and shook his head. “God, don’t call yourself a bastard. Dad will get bent. His maternal grandfather called him that all the time because…well, our grandparents had a shotgun wedding.” He checked his watch. “He’s not moved in ten minutes. Indecisive or patient?”

“Indecisive,” Tony murmured.

John nodded and left. He stopped by a recycling area tucked into a room close to the recreational pier and disposed of the bottles. As he headed toward the labs, Harvey moved in closer, hitting security sensors between forty-five and sixty seconds after John. He knew he wasn’t the best target even when he was alone, but maybe Harvey thought he was going to get close to McKay. McKay’s private lab was in the lower reaches of the main tower and could only be reached by someone with a specific level of security access. Harvey didn’t have it. There were two labs in the area—one for ZPM research, which Rodney was the lead on, and another housed the supercomputer they’d brought from Earth, which was Miko Kusanagi’s domain, and there she reigned as queen.

Harvey wouldn’t gain access to either lab without the help. He probably assumed an unconscious body would do, but Atlantis was far too smart for that kind of workaround to ever be an option. As an engineer, he’d been given a structural overview of the city and the plans they’d created thus far for the city. It was one of the more irritating aspects of the half-finished rebuild on the ancient database—the ancients hadn’t left a single copy of the city plans to be found. Surely, they’d had at least one set during construction, and it was an ongoing aggravation for practically everyone. Rodney theorized that David Parrish, the head of botany, was the only person on the city who didn’t give a fuck about architectural plans. John figured he was right.

John headed for the astrophysics department, and as he turned the corner, he passed Ronon lingering in the shadows of the stairwell. He gave the man a little nod as he passed and kept moving through the mostly empty science department. Practically everyone was either in their quarters or part of the minimal crew running the gate room. That was being managed two-hour incriminates under Elizabeth’s direction so no one got stuck with a long shift. John had done his two hours in the early morning hours while most of the city had still been asleep. He liked those hours best on the city as she felt content and pleased to know they trusted her enough to sleep within her structures. He’d rarely shared that particular thought with anyone.

He turned a corner, headed toward a set of stairs, and a little dart of warning shot down his spine. John turned just in time to see a flash of gunmetal in the darkness of the stairwell. He knew it wasn’t Harvey, Tony, or Ronon, so a fellow Marine coming at him wasn’t a real big surprise. John caught the man by the wrist, snapped it with a brutal jerk of his own hand, and the gun went off. He ignored the hot sensation that quickly turned to burning in his upper thigh as he grappled with the other man and shoved him. They both went down in a tangle of limbs, blood smearing the floor underneath them. They rolled, and John had to give the man credit. He was still giving it a go despite the broken wrist.

“John!”

The man, arrival 2301, leveraged above him, and John punched Staff Sergeant Zack Franco in the chest just as Tony strode forward and kicked the man in the face. Franco hit the ground with a thud as Ronon arrived.

“Sheppard?” Ronon questioned.

“Flesh wound,” John reported as he pulled his belt free from his BDUs. “Probably.” He started to put it around his thigh, but Tony took it and did the work, tightening it in an agonizing but knowledgeable fashion.

“Too much blood for a flesh wound,” Tony said as he stood and pulled out his handcuffs. He went to Franco, which Ronon had a foot on, and started to roll the man over. Franco wheezed in a ragged breath but remained unconscious.

“I think I broke his sternum,” John reported roughly. “Moving him might kill him.”

“Yeah, I think you did,” Tony agreed as he checked the man’s chest. He stood and retrieved the gun. “Who is he?”

“Staff Sergeant Zack Franco,” John said roughly. “Marines, military police. He’s part of the security patrol and incidentally on duty. The city understands the rotation and dismissed him as a problem because he’s not far from where he should be.” He sat up and braced himself against the stairs. “Where’s Harvey?”

“I stunned him,” Ronon said as he activated his radio.

John watched Tony leave as Ronon notified the infirmary that there’d been an incident and requested two medical transports. He winced as he activated his own radio and flicked through the channels until he got to McKay’s private channel.

“Rodney.”

“The city is very upset and won’t let me ignore the alerts like usual, so what have you done?” Rodney questioned. “I’m about halfway to you.”

“Just meet me in the infirmary,” John said warily. “And please go get my father before any sort of information reaches him. Specifically, tell him that I’m injured but fine and Tony is not injured at all.”

“He’s going to care about the OSI agent?” Rodney questioned. “And what the fuck do you mean by injured?”

“Yeah, he’s going to want to know Tony’s status, and I’ve got a bullet in my leg, McKay. I swear I’m fine. Just go get my dad, okay? Ronon’s already called the medical team in.”

“This might not be obvious to you, John Patrick Sheppard, but I’m not actually good at comforting people.”

It was so obvious that John laughed a little. “I really am fine. Promise.” Rodney ended their conversation with a huff.

“Well, you don’t actually have a bullet in your leg,” Tony said, and John looked up to find his brother holding what looked like a mangled bullet in a gloved hand. “Through and through—explains the amount of blood.”

Dr. Eva Robinson was in the lead when the medical team arrived. John wasn’t all that surprised. She’d proven to be very hands-on as CMO, and she had a great, caring bedside manner that put practically everyone at ease.

“Colonel,” she murmured as she knelt and wrapped nimble fingers around his wrist. “Is all of this blood yours?”

“Yeah,” John admitted with a wince. “Sorry. You should check Franco, Doc. I hit him pretty hard.”

“Alyssa has him.” She counted under her breath as the field medic she’d brought with her started cutting away his pant leg. “Entrance and exit?”

“Agent DiNozzo found the bullet already, so yeah,” John said and looked up just as Elizabeth appeared in the entryway of the hall. “I’m fine, Elizabeth. Could you go manage the situation heading my way?”

She frowned and crossed her arms, face paling. “Is all of this blood yours?”

“Yes.”

Elizabeth activated her radio. “Major Lorne, please join me at the scene. We need every single bit of this blood cleaned up, and I want the whole area under guard while it’s done so no one can take a sample…for whatever reason they might have.”

John hadn’t even considered that.

“Relax,” Tony said as John was transferred onto a gurney. “I’ll stay here and make sure no one touches anything until Lorne gets here and supervise the cleaning with him.”

“I’ll watch, too,” Ronon said with a frown toward the gurney Franco was currently on. “In case injuring you was the point.”

John had to think it probably was. He focused on Eva Robinson. “You’ll need to lock down the infirmary and put me in a private room to ease the security burden. Lorne will assign guards to the area, and I need you to personally keep track of my clothes, the linens, and any equipment you use during the surgery you’re probably going to do. I’m getting a little light-headed. Rodney is my medical proxy, but my father is on the city and is technically my next of kin. I don’t think they’ll argue over my care if that becomes a question, but Rodney understands the medical equipment on Atlantis better and can make the best choices for treatment.”

“I understand, Colonel,” Eva said. “I’ll take care of everything. Agent DiNozzo, we’re going to wheel both gurneys into the hall, spray cleaner on the wheels to render any genetic material on them useless, and leave our shoes in a pile for you.”

“Thank you, Dr. Robinson,” Tony said and took a deep breath. “Bag all of Franco’s clothes for me with the colonel’s. Make sure he gets a bath as soon as possible, he has blood all over him, and none of it is his.”

 

 

Chapter 10

Patrick was torn between cursing someone out and trying to manage Rodney McKay, who was seated in a chair not far from the isolation area where John had been taken for treatment. Several tests had been run, and currently, they were using an ancient device to check for muscle damage. Jack wasn’t sitting far from him and was nursing a cup of coffee in silence. Tony had stayed at the scene to make sure all the blood was cleaned up, and no one got a sample.

Elizabeth Weir had come from the infirmary several times over the hour that he’d been there, spoken to Rodney briefly, and shortly after that, a laptop had been brought to McKay by a scientist that Patrick didn’t recognize on sight. Patrick sat down and took a deep breath.

“Relax,” Jack said. “Eva Robinson is very qualified—one of the most talented emergency medical doctors in the United States. That’s why we recruited her specifically for Atlantis.”

Patrick nodded and took a deep breath as a doctor from the other side of the infirmary entered the area, looked around, and went to McKay. They spoke briefly in a low tone, and he watched the scientist grimace and shake his head before giving the woman a nod. He watched McKay stand, set aside the laptop and walk across the room to join them.

“Problem?”

“Franco didn’t make it,” McKay said shortly, then he focused on O’Neill. “You’ll need to classify his cause of death to the best of your ability.”

Jack nodded. “Consider it done.”

Patrick glanced between them. “What’s going on? John killing an attacker during a physical altercation isn’t outside of his wheelhouse or his experience.”

“He did it by punching him in the chest once,” Rodney said shortly. “At best, people will assume his mutation gave him a strength boost, which isn’t exactly a lie. He has twice the upper body strength of a very fit human male because of his wings. But, he essentially caved Franco’s chest in, and a piece of the man’s sternum pierced his heart. He apparently bled to death before they could operate. Those who don’t assume it’s mutation will rightly jump right to the iratus retrovirus exposure. We don’t need to give assholes on Earth another reason to want him to back there for study.”

Patrick forced himself to stay seated as McKay walked away, activating his radio. He half listened as the man gave a series of orders to various people, including Major Evan Lorne, that left him a little surprised. Technically, he knew that McKay was actually second-in-command of the civilian-led expedition. But mission reports and various other documents that had come from Atlantis didn’t really demonstrate that. Elizabeth Weir and John were front and center on practically every single report. He had wondered before about the reality of the everyday running of the city.

Tony entered at that point; he had several pairs of shoes in hand, which he put in a chair before joining him. “Any word?”

“Nothing specific. Dr. Robinson is checking for muscular damage. The bullet missed the artery, which was a concern,” Patrick said, and Tony sat down with him. “How’d the cleanup go?”

“Major Lorne locked the area down and had it cleaned floor to ceiling,” Tony said. “Then, collected all the cleaning tools to take care of personally. Everyone involved in the cleaning had their clothes and shoes taken from them by security on the way out. Teldy was there as well, helping the city quartermaster issue everyone new clothes and boots to replace what was taken. No one was an exception; Lorne and Ronon Dex stripped down with the rest of us.” He yawned. “And there is security on the doors leading in here, so none of the medical personnel can leave with bloody clothes or with samples.”

“Is it paranoid to worry about this?”

“I think most wouldn’t be concerned if it weren’t for the circumstances on Earth and the tone of the political climate attached to those circumstances….” Tony took a deep breath and shrugged. “A little hypervigilance is understandable, and I think John appreciated it. He seemed really upset by how much blood had been spilled after Elizabeth ordered a clean-up.”

“Yeah.” Patrick rubbed both hands on his thighs and focused on McKay, who was once more on his laptop across the room. “I feel like I’m dropping the ball on that front.”

“No, you’re fine,” Jack murmured. “McKay doesn’t do well when people get in his face. Elizabeth clearly gave him a task to keep him on an even keel.”

“This wasn’t what I expected to happen,” Tony said. “I researched every single member of the expedition, you know.”

“The problem is that the Trust never bothered to insert their own people into the program,” Jack said quietly. “They cultivated conspirators amongst people that were already here. No manufactured backgrounds and nothing to fake. They just turn our own people against us.” He focused on McKay. “Hey, Rodney.”

McKay stood up and balanced the laptop on one hand as he grabbed his coffee. He sat down near O’Neill with a frown. “Well?”

“Atlantis keeps an eye on Sheppard. How or why did she overlook Franco?”

“He was on security patrol,” McKay said shortly. “We’ve already found a private channel he and Harvey were sharing. Secondary channels aren’t against the rules. We need them to allow for general communication between individuals, teams, and even security patrols. You only have to request it, and your radio will be assigned the channel and then encrypted so no one else can use that channel. At any rate, Harvey contacted Franco about twenty-five minutes before the attack happened. Then again about five minutes before.”

“Harvey followed John out to the pier where I was,” Tony said. “We discussed him—as we’d both noticed him, and Atlantis had made a note of Harvey’s movement around the city which seemed to be outside the norm. I wasn’t entirely sure about that part, and we didn’t discuss it much. John figured that Harvey might be waiting for him to lead…the way to you, Dr. McKay. Captain Harvey isn’t the sort of asset they’d send Colonel Sheppard’s way. You seemed to be the likely target. We didn’t realize that there was another player in the mix until it was too late.”

Rodney nodded and stared at Tony for a very long moment. Then tilted his head slightly before focusing on Patrick. He sighed. Patrick braced himself for another awful assumption, but McKay just shook his head and focused on his laptop.

“Congrats on keeping your love child a secret for decades, Admiral,” Rodney said sourly.

Jack laughed a little.

Patrick flushed and shared a look with Tony. “I’ve only known for a few months, Doctor, and how did you even guess?”

“John and Agent DiNozzo have the same eyes,” Rodney paused. “Which are yours and apparently also your mother’s whom your love child certainly resembles far more than you or John. I’ve seen several pictures of her.”

“You can call me Tony, Dr. McKay,” Tony said. “And very brief affair baby is more accurate.”

“I prefer Rodney. No one calls me my first name if they want a response,” Rodney said. “I used to wish I was an affair baby. I asked my mother repeatedly, and she always denied it. Fortunately, my father is dead, so I don’t have to worry about his fucked up behavior these days.” He went back to his laptop with that.

Patrick grimaced and shared a look with Jack. He knew that both of McKay’s parents were dead—the mother of breast cancer and the father of a car accident. He found himself hoping that Scott McKay had, in fact, died in an accident but resolved not to ever have that questioned, just in case.

“Where’s Harvey?” Jack questioned.

“Lorne put him in the wraith cage,” Tony said. “Ronon Dex stunned him with his cool alien gun that I’m totally not jealous over.”

“Miko is doing a deep dive on both of them regarding network access and use,” Rodney said without looking up. “She’ll have that data ready for you within a few hours. I have Dr. Zelenka running a program to harvest all security footage and data on both of them, so we’ll know how much contact they had leading up to tonight. They came to the city separately. One is Army, and one is Marine Corps, so I don’t see how they ever served together.”

“Atlantis is the first time they’ve ever been within a thousand miles of each other,” Tony said. “I need to cross paths with every single person on this city.” He focused on Rodney. “How do we arrange that?”

Rodney seemed to consider it. “Lorne can make every single member of the military assemble for announcements—there are civilians rated to act as security in the gate room for those events. I do department reviews once a month over the course of three days, and all of the scientists on the city move through my area for a Q&A. The rest of the civilians would be Elizabeth’s administrative staff. So, we could do that, but it would probably take several days if you want it to appear normal. Otherwise, we can corral them and do a cattle-call sort of situation where you’re introduced to each person individually. I’m open to either method. If you think there is another person on this city that would put a bullet in John, then we can go as jackbooted about it as you’d like.”

“I never like going jackbooted,” Tony said in amusement. “And I’d prefer as much normal as possible to get a good even impression of everyone. Anyone super stressed out or overly emotional will stick out like a sore thumb, at any rate. I want to attend all three meals tomorrow and get a list of anyone who skips eating in the mess hall.”

“Lorne can handle that,” Rodney said and closed his laptop. He set the device aside and took a deep breath just short of the double doors opening.

“How’d you know they were done?” Tony questioned curiously.

“Atlantis told me,” Rodney said and stood. “Eva.” He waved a hand.

“We needed to do a few repairs to make sure the muscle heals properly. He’ll stay twelve hours at the minimum, then we can get him settled in his own quarters where he’ll at least rest easier, if not sleep. He’s awake and refused to be sedated for the surgery.” She took a deep breath. “And considering the fact that he was attacked by one of his own men, I felt like I couldn’t argue it. He currently can’t walk due to the local I used for the surgery. I asked him to consider using the healing pod, but he said he’d only agree to go into it if you handle the machine.”

“It’s not personal,” Rodney paused. “To you at least.”

“Considering Dr. Keller’s actions, Rodney, I’m just relieved the colonel trusted me enough to let me operate on him at all,” Eva said. “Having a doctor betray your trust is a difficult thing to get over, and out here, it’s even more…of an issue. I’m not offended, nor am I entirely confident in my ability to use ancient tech, so you’re oversight would be required regardless.” She turned to Patrick. “He did order me to order you to bed, sir.”

Patrick raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged. “I tried. He can have visitors, but he’s honestly in a terrible mood.”

“He’s always in a piss poor mood when he gets shot,” Rodney muttered. “Or shot at. Which I don’t blame him for. Getting shot sucks. Did I tell you he shot me once?”

Eva Robinson grinned. “Yes, I believe it came up when I was briefed on your medical history. He apparently shot everyone on his team in a drug-induced delirium off-world.”

“Right—it was very rude, and he apologized, but still rude.”

Eva Robinson cupped McKay’s elbow and started prodding him toward the doors. “Come along then; you can berate the colonel for getting shot. He certainly has it coming.”

“He does,” Rodney agreed and focused on Patrick. “Admiral, if you’re not going to bed like John wants, then you should come now so he can see you instead of worrying about it. You, too, secret baby. He’s going to want a report from you.”

“Though utterly inaccurate, I think I liked love child better,” Tony said to Patrick as he followed along.

“It does seem less tawdry,” O’Neill said dryly and shrugged when they all looked at him. “I need to see him—as his CO.”

Rodney grimaced. “Yeah, of course.” And left them all to follow.

In the room, John was sitting up wearing a pair of scrubs with one leg missing. Patrick wondered how he’d gotten any of the medical personnel to agree to that particular thing, but his son looked furious, so maybe the clothes were just part of the management they were doing to keep him in a bed for observation.

“Did you get a blood transfusion?” Rodney questioned.

“No, I lost less than a pint,” John said. “It just sprayed everywhere because of the exit wound and the fact that I kept moving.” He offered McKay his hand, who took it with a frown. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” Rodney retorted. “One of your own men shot you. So, stop telling such a ridiculous lie.”

John made a face, but his shoulders relaxed a little, and Patrick stopped wondering how his son and McKay actually worked. They seemed to be polar opposites, and he’d thought maybe that was the root of their attraction. It was clear that Rodney was a touchstone for his son or maybe more of a viciously honest boulder that provided John with a safe place to land.

“You should be resting,” Patrick said, and John shook his head. “Do we need to tell you how much easier it’ll be if you take it easy and let your body heal?”

“No, but I’m not going to be able to sleep until I have all the information that can be had,” John said plainly. “It’s….” He took a deep breath and focused on McKay. “Where’s Lorne?”

“He’s overseeing a security sweep of the occupied parts of the city,” Rodney said. “Miko and Radek are working through the network and communication logs to give Tony. Sergeant Franco died before they could operate to repair the damage.” He paused very briefly. “You broke his sternum and nearly all of his ribs. I’ve asked that the method of his death be made classified as possible, and O’Neill agreed. Captain Harvey is in the wraith cage, and Lorne made sure that only first-wave people are on the security rotation. Teldy is being herself across various operations. Elizabeth has been working on the schedules to make sure that no one above 150 has access to you or the infirmary, with obvious exceptions. Dr. Robinson will turn your care over to Dr. Biro if you’d prefer.”

“No one above 150?” Patrick questioned in confusion.

“That’s the number of original expedition numbers,” John said. “I’m citizen one. Dr. Weir is two, and McKay is three. We were numbered by Atlantis’ security program as we came through the gate. Everyone gets a number and keeps that number no matter how many times they come and go from the city. She uses biometrics to discern the difference between us. I tried, early on, to make the program use names, but it resisted that entirely.” He took a deep breath. “She even numbered the genii invaders. The ancients were part of a different number system of their own choosing. But she fell to a programmed response when the city was repopulated and started over at one. I don’t know why specifically.”

He let a hand rest on the bandage, and McKay immediately reached out and nudged it firmly away. John huffed a little, then focused on Tony. “How did cleanup go, Tony?”

“Lorne was thorough,” Tony said. “Everyone involved in the cleanup had to change clothes in the hallway outside of the scene. Dr. Simpson did provide me with a digital camera, which I used to document the scene before it was released for cleanup. I took note of every single person allowed anywhere near the area in case a problem emerges at a later date. I’m confident that no one was able to collect any blood samples. I’m going to stay for about a week and do a survey of the entire expedition to make sure that Harvey and Franco were the only ones we need to worry about when it comes to the Trust and various other anti-mutant groups.”

“Get with Lorne about the military review, and feel free to be rude about it. They’ll be relieved if they aren’t guilty by an overt operation. Trusting each other after this could take some work. Having one of their own try to murder their CO isn’t great for morale.” John turned and focused on Rodney. “Which is why I need you to go be yourself in the gate room and various other places around the city.”

“John.”

“Rodney, if you’re out there being you—then they’re going to know, without being told, that I’m fine. But, if you linger in here, the assumption is going to be that I’m on death’s door. Where’s Teyla?”

“Providing security for Miko and Radek,” Rodney said. “Ronon is shadowing Lorne. I’ll go do all of that, then join Miko and Radek. Teyla will want to see you, at any rate. She’ll probably make you drink that awful tea.”

“That awful tea has great antibiotic properties and promotes quick healing,” John pointed out. “You know that because Parrish has been studying it for over a year, and they’re already growing it on Earth in a DOD lab.” He squeezed Rodney’s hand. “Go be as McKay as possible.”

“Right, fine. I’ll come back later, and we’ll do a session in that ancient healing pod. I’m not taking no for an answer.” He waved at Tony as he let go of John’s hand. “By the way, I’m going to curse you out later for not telling me about the secret baby.”

“I got shot,” John said in protest, and Rodney just made a face at him then walked away. He frowned at Tony. “I blame you for that.”

“Apparently, I look like our grandmother.”

“Oh.” John stared for a moment. “Yeah, you do. I didn’t even realize.”

Patrick felt better about that because he hadn’t really noticed either. John had been injured many times in the past, and reading his son’s jacket had been infuriating as he often hadn’t been notified at all. This marked the third time he’d been shot in the line of duty in Pegasus alone.

Jack took a sip of coffee that was probably cold. “Do you want me to make my presence overtly known or stay out of the way?”

John seemed to consider that. “I….” He shook his head. “You probably need to ask Lorne that question, sir. He’ll have a better read of the mood of the company and what needs to be done to calm them down. If there are discipline problems, it’s best to leave that to him. He’s worked hard to get where he is on that front because he’s Air Force. There were a few bumps when Teldy transferred back to Earth and wasn’t here to back Lorne’s play when I was off-planet.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll arrange to meet with him in private then. Get some rest, John. You clearly need it.” He touched Patrick’s arm briefly, then left them.

He noted that Tony and John exchanged a look that made the appearance of an entire conversation, and Patrick resolved to not ask. The doors shut, leaving them alone.

“I’d really like to lecture you both about how this went down tonight, but I also realize that you were just doing your jobs, and an opportunity presented itself,” Patrick said wearily.

“I can’t accept any lectures from a man who will certainly succeed at banging my CO,” John told him, and Tony laughed. “Seriously, you might lose lecture privileges forever, Dad.”

Patrick had no real response to that because he certainly did plan to bang Jack O’Neill as often as possible going forward.

“And what’s worse is my newly discovered brother is certainly already banging the Commandant of the Marine Corps,” John complained. “Christmas is going to get really complicated and weird. I guess I should be lucky that Rampart didn’t show up this time, too.”

“He was invited,” Patrick admitted and shrugged when they both looked at him in shock. “It seemed like the thing to do. Anyway, he couldn’t come because POTUS needed him for a series of meetings with Homeland about the NID infiltration into several branches of service, including the Corps. The cleanup for this is years in the making. A lot of people are going to suffer career-ending damage to their reputations either due to inaction or guilt by association before everything is said and done.”

The doors opened, and a beautiful woman that Patrick knew to be Teyla Emmagan entered with a tray. He’d never met her due to scheduling issues and the fact that she’d only come to Earth once for a handful of days for declassification.

“Teyla.” John shifted on the bed. “This is my father, Patrick Sheppard, and my brother Tony DiNozzo.”

She paused only briefly before nodding and putting an ornately carved wooden tray on the bedside table that Tony swung into place over John. “Tea and sandwiches. It was decided you probably didn’t eat enough at dinner since you didn’t come back for seconds or stay to graze with the rest of us. Chief Monroe called it a brisket sandwich. Elk, of course, since we’ll be eating that for a while.”

“How big was this thing?” Patrick asked curiously.

“About 1700 pounds,” John said. “They’re huge out here and have few natural predators on this planet. We had to butcher it on the spot since it wouldn’t fit in the jumper whole.”

Teyla poured John tea and pressed the cup into his hand. “Miko and Radek have finished the security review and have created a program that will monitor sporadic and inconsistent chatter on the private channels going forward. It occurred to them that infrequently used personal channels might be a cause for concern as why have one at all if you’re barely going to use it?” John nodded. “They assured me the program wouldn’t invade anyone’s privacy or record calls. Video footage of both men has been gathered from Atlantis’ system, plus life sign data shows that they’ve met in private just three times and always in isolated locations. We all agreed that the contacts were not long enough to have been any sort of satisfying sexual liaison and that they were probably just passing information back and forth to each other.

“Neither man has left Atlantis since arrival. A physical search of their rooms is already underway. Lorne is handling those searches personally as he’s…very irritated. You’ll want to make time to see him sooner rather than later. Rodney tells me that you’re going to go into the pod?”

“Yeah.” John grimaced.

She nodded. “Perhaps Lorne could stand guard over that process with Rodney rather than me or Ronon, as you’d prefer. It would demonstrate your trust in him and help to settle anyone who might be chaffing under his temporary leadership as you heal.”

Patrick watched John consider than and sip the tea before nodding his agreement.

“Good,” Teyla said and adjusted the bedside table one more time, then stepped back. “I’m going to go…manage Rodney. He’s too hyped up for sleep, and he tends to go toward weapons of mass destruction when he’s stressed like this. We have no one who needs a giant bomb dropped on them currently, so there’s no need to waste his time. I’ll work with Miko to keep him focused on something useful for a few hours, then I’ll prod him back your way for the pod treatment when Dr. Robinson is ready.” She looked at Patrick, then Tony. “I’m pleased to meet you both.”

John watched her leave, then frowned down at the tea before drinking more of it. “I could find someone to drop a giant bomb on.”

Tony laughed.

“It honestly wouldn’t even be hard,” Patrick admitted. “How can I help?”

John made a face. “Honestly? I don’t know. You make McKay nervous, so we need to work on that, but now is not the time. I didn’t even know it was a problem, and maybe he’ll calm down on his own. Elizabeth and Lorne need to be seen as in charge and in control as much as possible during all of this. We work best on our own out here, and I realize that people on Earth don’t like that and find it disconcerting. But we’re a team, and we suffer for every single change they try to implement to insert themselves into our work. We didn’t want or need that group from the Army Corps of Engineers, but it was the only road in the US Army seemed to have to get out here, and they pushed it until POTUS agreed.

“I don’t know if Harvey was sent out here to work with Franco or if they were individual operators who met to compare notes. Dawson and Keller were bad enough, honestly, but they were civilians, and I took some comfort in that.” He waved his free hand. “I have to trust these motherfuckers with my life, Dad. With Rodney’s life and now….” He took a deep breath. “Now, there’s this.”

“We’ll go interview Harvey and try to figure out what his mission was out here,” Tony said. “And we’ll start with the military review. Teldy can help with that part of the investigation while Lorne does what he needs to do to keep morale up and tempers even. I won’t leave an internal threat out here, John.”

John nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“Does that tea taste as bad as it smells?” Patrick asked.

“Worse,” John admitted. “We’re hoping for a pill form. Even Teyla seemed excited by the concept of a couple of pills over an entire pot of tea.” He glanced at the pot. “Because I gotta drink it all to get the full benefit.”

“Gross,” Tony muttered. “Good luck with that. I don’t think a brisket sandwich will make up for it.”

* * * *

Jack watched Captain Harvey sit sullen and silent in the makeshift interrogation room that Teldy had arranged. It was plain and featured a big overt transparent window. The man had averted his gaze as soon as he’d set eyes on the audience. Most specifically, Jack thought, he looked ashamed to be in sitting in front of Patrick Sheppard.

“I only have a few questions,” Tony said.

“I want a lawyer.”

Tony stood. “Captain Joel Michael Harvey, you’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit the murder of an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Sergeant Bates, handcuff Captain Harvey and take him to the gate room for immediate transport back to Earth. Captain Harvey, Colonel Carter is already on standby with an investigator from Army CID to take you into custody for transfer to an appropriate facility where you will meet with the lawyer assigned to handle your case by the DOD.”

“Wait.” Harvey held up both hands. “No goddamned way are you charging me with the attempted murder of a superior officer! Christ, I was just following Sheppard because I heard he was heading in your direction. We had a right to know if our CO out here’s a fucking snitch.”

“You’ve invoked your right to an attorney, Captain Harvey. This conversation is over.”

“I want to talk. I don’t need a lawyer. Stop playing games with me.”

“I’m not playing games with you, Captain Harvey. I know, for a fact, that you’re guilty of everything I intend to charge you with. Once I get back on Earth, finding out which member of the Trust recruited and paid you is going to be a walk in the park,” Tony said evenly and held up a hand when Harvey started to speak. “Do not speak. Just listen. You will be charged as an accessory to the attempted murder of Colonel John Sheppard, US Marine Corps. Communications between you and Sergeant Franco prove that you were in contact with him twice in the moments leading up to the crime. That’s conspiracy, and the proof is insurmountable. I don’t care what motivation you’ve developed after the fact to cover yourself. I’m going to nail you to the wall and leave you there for the rest of your fucking life. I fully expect to find the evidence I need to charge you with both espionage and sedition. You can save your misunderstood sob story for that lawyer you very clearly need. Understood?”

“Look, just ask Franco! He’ll tell you that murder wasn’t the plan! We were just supposed to get some blood and maybe hair. Something that could be easily smuggled back to Earth.”

“Zack Franco is dead,” Tony said evenly. “Because that’s what happens when you put an average soldier in the path of a man with over a decade of war experience both on and off planet. Bates, I’m done.”

Bates hauled Harvey out of the chair and handcuffed him as the man struggled. “Don’t fight me, asshole; you can go back to Earth on a gurney if need be.” He paused. “Or in a box.”

Beside Jack, Hetty Lange laughed a little. “I like him.” She leaned forward a bit. “Dean Bates?”

“Yeah,” Jack said. “Don’t start poaching for NCIS out here, Hetty. We need every asset we can trust.”

“It seems like you need an NCIS agent out here,” Hetty said. “One that you can trust, with a history with the expedition. A man like Dean Bates would do well in such a role, should he ever wish for a change of pace. Are there others? Injured out of the Corps due to regulations but still fit to serve that I could put through FLETC and have assigned out here? Owen Granger will want to know.”

“I have a new few names to offer,” Anne Teldy said, and they all turned to stare at her where she was leaning on the wall. “But Alicia Vega comes to mind immediately. She took a spear to the gut off-world and lost a kidney. It got her discharged, and she didn’t have any other real skills that we could use to keep her on the city. She would be very eager to do whatever was necessary to come back out here to serve. She was first wave, and the expedition means a lot to her. Plus, Colonel Sheppard trusts her and tried to get the DOD to ignore her injury so he could keep her in the Corps.”

“I’ll find her and send her your way, Hetty,” Jack said, and the older woman nodded.

“I could have her trained and in service within six months with Tony’s help and oversight,” Hetty agreed with a nod.

Jack focused on the interrogation room and found Tony seated at the table, staring at a tablet. “Looks like you’ve got some dad duty ahead of you, Patrick.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure how to do that with him. He’s clearly never had one and doesn’t always respond well to my concern. Despite appearances, John has always been easy on that front. Willing to confide when needed or required to get through something.”

* * * *

“I could’ve gotten him killed,” Tony murmured. “I should’ve….”

“Tony.” Patrick took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “John’s in command out here. Frankly, he should’ve called in security and had Harvey contained on the spot. Maybe the guy would’ve played it off with enough offense to get removed from Atlantis. There’s no telling, but John is a highly trained Marine and hardly needs your protection.”

“Yeah, but I feel like I missed something.”

“You haven’t been on this city long enough to even see half the population,” Patrick pointed out, and Tony looked out across the city. The balcony they were on gave them a great view of the central tower. The moon was high in the sky as it was nearly midnight on the planet.

“It’s beautiful here,” Tony said. “And it feels…like home. I can see why John is so content here. Or at least, he was. I worry that something has been taken from now because of that asshole.”

“If a genii invasion couldn’t take it, then one greedy asshole who had no business being in uniform won’t destroy it for John,” Patrick said. “He’s resilient, and he knows how to find peace where he can. You can’t do what he’s done for as long as he’s done it without that kind of coping mechanism.”

“Did you want him to join the military?”

“Not even for a minute,” Patrick admitted. “But he was so determined to serve, to prove that his mutation couldn’t and wouldn’t define him. The wings don’t really offer him any sort of advantage in the field and could be a hindrance in some cases.”

“I agree. Honestly, he’d need some kind of active camouflage of a tech variety to fly safely on Earth. He’d be extremely vulnerable in the sky, and with twice the wingspan of a condor…he’d be visible from the ground unless he was so high up that he’d be rendered useless for any sort of recon. But that’s not why anyone would want to get their hands on him. They’d either want to figure out how to force shapeshifting mutations on others or push his mutation to evolve. There were experiments like that in the past—pushing mutants to go further and further on their path of mutation no matter what it cost them.”

“It killed most of them,” Patrick murmured. “Does Senior know about your mutation?”

“He didn’t until I was an adult and utterly outside of his control,” Tony said. “I knew from a very young age that I couldn’t trust him.

“How do you feel about getting your birth certificate corrected?” Patrick questioned, and Tony turned to stare at him in shock. “It would take a court process and official paternity tests.”

“What…. Why?” Tony questioned.

“Because right now, that bastard is your next of kin, and he…. You’re my son, Tony. He never deserved to be a part of your life, and I resent your mother a lot for the choices she made.”

“You think she got pregnant with your kid on purpose.”

“I think she wanted a baby, and Senior couldn’t or wouldn’t provide one,” Patrick said roughly. “He probably knows you aren’t his. Though I’d agree that he has no idea that I’m your father because he’d have never let that lie.”

“No, he’d have tried to blackmail you,” Tony admitted. “Either near my birth or after the death of my mother. I kind of wish he had. He wouldn’t have liked the results, but at least there wouldn’t have been so many hard years between you and me. I realize you’re frustrated and angry over the whole deal with my conception and upbringing….”

Patrick huffed. “Any decent man would be furious to hear about how you were barely raised by two people who didn’t deserve to be parents at all. You don’t talk about her, Tony, but I have read your background check. I know your mother was an alcoholic and was the driver in the car accident that killed her.”

“I have no memories of her ever being sober,” Tony admitted. “I’m not opposed to updating all of my vital records, including my birth certificate. I’m not sure about changing my name. Part of me thinks it would help me create a very clean break from my old life, including Senior and Gibbs. But I don’t want anyone to think that I took your name for political reasons.”

“Anyone that knows me would be surprised if I didn’t lobby for a name change,” Patrick admitted. “I let fatherhood define me decades ago because it protected John. It quickly became clear that he was always going to come first with me, and I’d like that to be a known truth about you as well. It’s pretty galling to know that you’re named after that son of a bitch, by the way. I’m not trying to destroy your identity here, Tony, I’m just…. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I get it,” Tony admitted. “I’ve been considering changing my name on that front since I turned eighteen. He calls me Junior, by the way. Like I’m some extension of him which is why I started calling him Senior. I haven’t called him anything but Senior since I was around twelve. Once my empathy developed, any attachment I had for him fell away because I knew he didn’t love me and never had. Before that, it was Father. I was never allowed to call him daddy. He said that it was low-brow and for poor people.”

Patrick glared out in front of him because he had no actual target for his fury at the moment. “I could buy and sell that motherfucker twenty times over. You know that, right?”

Tony laughed. “God, I’d laugh myself sick if you were to say that to his face.”

* * * *

Jack prodded the door to his room open when the door chimed and looked up from the tablet he was working with as Patrick came inside. He raised an eyebrow and threw a very stern order to lock the door at the city. It was met with a sharp little snap of locks on the door. Patrick dropped on the bed, already dressed for sleep, and snagged a pillow.

“Difficult?”

“I want to murder Anthony DiNozzo, Sr.,” Patrick admitted. “And I pride myself on never having felt genuinely homicidal in my life. I killed in the line of duty and never hesitated in it. But outright murder? It just never crossed my mind at all until after I was a father. Even then, it was just, you know, an option.” Jack laughed because he got it. “I checked on John. He was already out of that pod thing when I went in. He and McKay were jokingly calling it a coffin nap, and frankly, it kind of looks like one. I did wonder if the goa’uld got their tech from an ancient version of that pod at some point.”

“Do you have an issue with their relationship?”

“No,” Patrick said. “John…he gives so much to everything and everyone. I’m relieved he has someone who genuinely has his back against anyone, including me. That kind of loyalty between two people can be intoxicating and addictive. It’s clear they’re in love, and I’m just thankful that they managed to get somewhere healthy together. John complained last year about McKay being…indecisive. I don’t know the context, but maybe he was waffling about being with a career military officer. It’s no picnic.”

“Certainly not,” Jack murmured. He set his tablet on the nightstand and shifted around so he could lie down beside Patrick. “Even if I hadn’t been gay, I don’t think Sara and I would’ve lasted. She clearly saw an endpoint on my career in the Air Force, and it wasn’t retirement. Every man she’s dated since our divorce has been the boring nine-to-five type. This one she married might as well be a loaf of Wonder Bread. Charlie can’t stand him, and it doesn’t really have anything to do with his job and everything to do with the fact that he’s just boring. His idea of a day out is a mini-golf course. Meanwhile, Charlie’s goal for visiting California was parasailing.”

“Ah, well, that guy has no hope of competing with you for Charlie’s favor, you know? No matter how much your ex-wife might prefer it, your son is a great deal like you in all the ways that it counts. He’s not going to be satisfied living a small life with a boring job.” Patrick reached out and took Jack’s hand. “There’s nothing wrong with being his father’s son.”

“Sara would certainly disagree,” Jack murmured.

“Then maybe she needs to see less of your son instead of more going forward. Charlie doesn’t need that lack of validation and faith in his life. Especially not if he intends to serve the planet. If his mother can’t support him with a full and generous heart, then she just needs to keep it to herself. Our world is complicated, and I don’t see a day when it will be any different because of the stargate.”

“I agree,” Jack said. “Come here.” He tugged a little, and Patrick moved into his space.

Patrick eased over him, and Jack let himself relax on the mattress. He spread his legs as Patrick pressed their mouths together. The kiss was soft, exploring for the barest of moments before Patrick deepened the contact and pressed his rapidly hardening cock against Jack’s. He caught the edge of Patrick’s T-shirt and tugged. Patrick lifted away briefly, pulled the shirt off, and tossed it away. Jack took off his own and did the same.

“I have lube if you’re interested in that.”

Patrick hummed under his breath as he cupped Jack’s hip then settled heavily on him. “You can have whatever you want.”

“What do you want?” Jack questioned as he cupped the back of Patrick’s head.

“You,” Patrick said. “Where’s the lube?”

“My bag over there,” Jack said and motioned toward his duffle. “Side pocket.”

“Just lube?”

“There are some condoms if you want them.”

Patrick left the bed to retrieve the lube, and Jack lifted his hips then shimmied out of the pajama pants he was wearing. He tossed them on the floor as Patrick stopped at the side of the bed and shed the rest of his clothes. Jack pushed the duvet down the bed with one foot and spread his legs as Patrick stared. He crawled back onto the bed and knelt between Jack’s thighs, then dropped the lube on the mattress beside them.

Jack took a deep breath as Patrick slid big, warm hands down his thighs, and then the man leaned down and licked Jack’s cock from root to tip.

“Fuck.” Jack threw one arm over his head and wrapped his hand around the weirdly curved headboard. Patrick sucked him all the way in, and Jack shuddered with a low groan. “I won’t last long with this.”

Patrick released him and wet his lips as he seemed to consider his words. “If you come now, will you be too sensitive to be fucked?”

Jack barely managed to keep still. “No, I rarely come from actual penetration. I love it, but my prostate isn’t overly sensitive before or after orgasm.”

He wasn’t sure he wanted to admit that he’d never had a partner fuck him after he’d come on purpose. Normally, it was an incidental circumstance near the end of the act. The idea was intriguing, and he wondered if it was a full-on kink for Patrick. If it was, he was more than willing to explore it.

Patrick picked up the lube, slicked up several fingers, and Jack exhaled slowly at the look he got as he spread his legs as much as possible. It had been a very long time since he’d had any sort of shame attached to the kind of sex acts that he enjoyed. It had been a long road for him, and he’d had to unpack a lot of toxic crap over the years.

Since he knew that Patrick wanted him to come, Jack let himself relax and accept the pleasure. Letting someone else be in charge of the whole thing was kind of a rarity, but it was very easy to trust Patrick Sheppard. Maybe, too easy, but Jack was willing to work with it since it came with expert blow jobs. Patrick’s mouth was hot and insistent. It was clear that the man really enjoyed sucking cock.

Jack ran a hand gently over the top of Patrick’s head and flexed his hips just a little. He got a soft, eager groan for the action then slick fingertips slid over the rim of his asshole. The slippery motion turned into pressure almost immediately, and he clenched briefly then relaxed. Patrick slid a single finger all the way in. Jack rocked down on the penetration, fucking himself against Patrick’s hand.

“I’m going to come,” Jack warned and shivered when Patrick unexpectedly deep-throated him instead of pulling off.

He came as Patrick added a second finger and pressed against his prostate with purpose. The action gave his orgasm a sharp edge that was utterly perfect. Jack shuddered and clenched down on Patrick’s fingers even as he braced his other arm over his head for purchase. Between one thrust and another, a third finger was added. He watched with half-closed eyes as Patrick worked his hole open patiently. It was clear that the man liked to be in charge in bed, which worked out fine for Jack as he was in charge enough everywhere else in his life and could use the break from decision-making.

“You ready for more?” Patrick questioned as he pulled his fingers free and picked up the lube.

“Hell, yeah,” Jack said and pulled Patrick over him as soon as he could, clenching hands against the other man’s back as he urged him close.

Patrick had a long, thick cock, and he filled Jack with a sure, full-bodied thrust. It was overwhelming, perfect, and he moaned softly against Patrick’s mouth as they kissed. They moved together, languid and easy, like they’d been having sex for years.

“Good?” Patrick questioned as he moved, grinding into Jack’s body with easy strength and skill.

“God, you know it is,” Jack said and trailed one hand down Patrick’s back and put a foot flat on the mattress as he sought leverage and harder contact. “More.”

“I got you,” Patrick promised and slid a hand between them.

Jack shuddered as Patrick wrapped a hand around his half-hard cock. He didn’t think he’d get completely hard again, but a second orgasm was teasing along his spine. A firm grip on his cock was exactly what he needed, and it was relieving that he didn’t even have to ask for it.

“I’m close,” Patrick confessed against Jack’s cheek. “Do you want me to pull out?”

“No, stay,” Jack insisted and cupped the back of Patrick’s head, fingers curling against his hair. “Come in me.”

Patrick shuddered and kissed him with a soft brushing of lips that was so sweet that it pushed Jack right over the edge, and he came again. Patrick groaned and ground in deep, body shaking with his own release. They stayed where they were for several moments before Patrick pulled free from Jack’s body and slid down on the bed to rest next to him.

“That was better than it had any right to be,” Patrick said. “I insist you get awkward and weird about it immediately to make up for it.”

Jack laughed and looked Patrick’s way. “Can’t we just skip the awkward part and stay in the great sex part? Our kids are going to make it awkward enough as is.”

Patrick huffed. “John was already complaining about how terrible he thinks Christmas will be. What if Rampart actually wants to come to Christmas?”

“We should probably stop acting like he’s a problem then,” Jack said in amusement. “Since he’s a big damn hero in his own right. There’s not a single thing wrong with Randolph Rampart, you know?”

“Except for the part where is banging my son,” Patrick muttered. “John said I can’t lecture him anymore if I’m going to sleep with you.”

“That’s probably about right,” Jack agreed and sat up on his elbows. “Come take a shower with me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jack said. “Then tomorrow, we can go back to Earth and finish destroying every single person involved in this mess and anyone else who thinks they might like to get involved in this mess.”

Patrick grinned. “It’s pretty hard for me to resist a man who’d make any sort of war on behalf of my son.”

“My seduction is all going to plan then,” Jack retorted and rolled out of bed.

“Ha! I’d fucking believe you had a plan if you’d ever noticed once that I was flirting with you over the past year.”

Jack laughed as Patrick crowded him up against the bathroom counter. “Maybe I just like to be pursued.”

Patrick pressed against him and stared for a moment, hands clenched on Jack’s hips. “I suppose now I have to keep you.”

“Yeah?” Jack questioned.

“Well, catching you was a job,” Patrick said. “An unglorified and underappreciated job that left me so frustrated I dated not one, but two different twenty-six-year-olds in the space of six months.”

“How about I keep you instead?” Jack pulled him closer and kissed his mouth gently. “We can fall in love and grow old together— guarding the gate and ruining lives as one does in their golden years.”

“Deal,” Patrick said. “You get to invite Rampart to Christmas.”

“Man,” Jack muttered. “Whatever.”

The End